) 


BS  1615  .T24  1917 

Tait,  Arthur  J.  b.  1872 

The  prophecy  of  Micah 


THE  SHORT  COURSE  SERIES 


THE  PROPHECY  OF  MICAH 


GENERAL     PREFACE 


The  title  of  the  present  series  is  a  sufficient 
indication  of  its  purpose.  Few  preachers, 
or  congregations,  will  face  the  long  courses 
of  expository  lectures  which  characterised 
the  preaching  of  the  past,  but  there  is  a 
growing  conviction  on  the  part  of  some 
that  an  occasional  short  course,  of  six  or 
eight  connected  studies  on  one  definite 
theme,  is  a  necessity  of  their  mental  and 
ministerial  life.  It  is  at  this  point  the  pro- 
jected series  would  strike  in.  It  would 
suggest  to  those  who  are  mapping  out  a 
scheme  of  work  for  the  future  a  variety  of 
subjects  which  might  possibly  be  utilised  in 
this  way. 

The  appeal,  however,  will  not  be  restricted 
to  ministers  or  preachers.  The  various 
volumes  will  meet  the  needs  of  laymen  and 

ii 


General  Preface 

Sabbath-school  teachers  who  are  interested 
in  a  scholarly  but  also  practical  exposition 
of  Bible  history  and  doctrine.  In  the  hands 
of  office-bearers  and  mission-workers  the 
"  Short  Course  Series "  may  easily  become 
one  of  the  most  convenient  and  valuable 
of  Bible  helps. 

It  need  scarcely  be  added  that  while  an 
effort  has  been  made  to  secure,  as  far  as 
possible,  a  general  uniformity  in  the  scope 
and  character  of  the  series,  the  final  re- 
sponsibility for  the  special  interpretations 
and  opinions  introduced  into  the  separate 
volumes,  rests  entirely  with  the  individual 
contributors. 

A  detailed  list  of  the  authors  and  their 
subjects  will  be  found  at  the  close  of  each 
volume. 


Volumes  Already  Published 

A  Cry  for  Justice:   A  Study  in  Amos, 

By  Prof.  John  E.  McFadyen,  D.D. 

The  Beatitudes. 

By  Rev.  Robert  H.  Fisher,  DJ>. 

The  Lenten  Psalms. 

By  the  Editor. 
The  Psalm  of  Psalms. 

By  Prof.  James  Stalker,  D J>. 
The  Song  and  the  Soil. 

By  Prof.  W.  G.  Jordan,  D.D. 

The  Higher  Powers  of  the  Soul. 

By  Rev.  George  M 'Hardy,  D.D. 

Jehovah- Jesus. 

By  Rev.  Thomas  Whitelaw,  D.D. 

The  Sevenfold  I  Am. 

By  Rev.  Thomas  Marjoribanks,  B.D. 

The  Man  Among  the  Myrtles. 
By  the  Editor. 

The  Story  of  Joseph. 

By  Rev.  Adam  C.  Welch,  B.D.,  Th.D. 

The  Divine  Drama  of  Job. 

By  Rev.  Charles  F.  Akkp,  D.D. 

A  Mirror  of  the  Soul:   Studies  in  the  Psalter. 
By  Rev.  Canon  Vaughan,  M.A. 

In  the  Upper  Room. 

By  Rev.  D.  J.  BtniRILL,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

The  Son  of  Man. 

By  Andrew  C.  Zenos,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

The  Joy  of  Finding. 

By  Rev.  Alfred  E.  Garvee. 

The  Prayers  of  St.  Paul. 

By  Rev.  W.  H.  GRurnH  Thomas,  D.D. 

The  Emotions  of  Jesus. 

By  Prof.  Robert  Law,  D.D. 
Belief  and  Life. 

By  W.  B.  Selbie,  M.A.,  D.D. 
The  Prophecy  of  Micah. 

By  Rev.  Arthur  J.  Tait,  D.D. 

The  Expository  Value  of  the  Revised  Versioa. 
By  George  Milligan,  D.D. 


Price  75  cents  net  pes  VoLtniE 


TTbe  Sbort  Courge  Serteg 

EDITED  BY 

Rev.  JOHN  ADAMS,  B.D. 


THE 
PROPHECY  OF  MICAH 


BY 

ARTHUR    J.    TAIT,    D.D. 

PRINCIPAL  OF  RIDLEY  HALL,    CAMBRIDGE 
EXAMINING  CHAPLAIN  TO  THE  LORD  BISHOP  OF  LIVERPOOL 


NEW  YORK 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 
1917 


HANDLEIO  CARR  GLYN  MOULE,  S.T.P. 
Episcopo  Dunelmensi 

AULAE   RiDLEIANAE  PRIMO   PraEPOSITO 

AMANS  DISCIPULUS   ET  GRATUS 

HUNG  LIBELLUM  DEDIGO 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

I.  The  Word  of  the  LORD .  ,  ,        i 

Micah  i.   I 

II.  Judgment       .  •  •  •  •      i5 

Micah  i.  2-16 

III.  Sin       .  .  .  .  .  .27 

Micah  ii. 

IV.  Responsibility         •  .  .  .41 

Micah  iii. 

V.  The  Faithfulness  of  God  .  .      53 

Micah  iv. 

VI.  The  Divine  Method  .  •  -      67 

Micah  V. 

VII.  The  Divine  Pleading        .  .  .81 

Micah  vi. 

VIII.  The  Response  of  the  Child  of  God    .      99 

Micah  vii. 

Appendix        •  .  ,  •  .121 

Index  .  .  .  .  •  .152 

Vll 


O  Eternal  Truth,  and  True  Love,  and  Loving  Light,  our 
God  and  our  All,  enlighten  ovu-  darkness  by  the  brightness 
of  Thy  light  ;  that  in  Thy  light  we  may  see  light,  that  we, 
in  turn,  may  enlighten  others,  and  kindle  them  with  the  love 
of  Thee.  Open  Thou  our  eyes,  that  we  may  see  wondrous 
things  out  of  Thy  law.  .  .  .  Grant  to  us  .  .  .  that  we  may 
be  preachers  of  heaven,  sowers  for  eternity,  that  they  who 
read  may,  by  the  knowledge  of  Thy  Scriptures,  through  the 
graveness  and  the  weight  of  Thy  promises  and  threats, 
despise  the  ensnaring  entanglements  of  earth,  and  be  kindled 
with  the  love  of  heavenly  goods  and  the  effectual  earnest 
longing  for  a  blessed  eternity.  This  be  our  one  desire,  this 
our  prayer,  to  this  may  all  our  reading  and  writing  and  all 
our  toil  tend,  that  Thy  Holy  Name  may  be  hallowed,  Thy 
Holy  Will  be  done,  as  in  heaven,  so  in  earth,  Thy  Holy 
Kingdom  of  grace,  glory,  and  endless  bliss,  where  Thou 
wilt  be  all  things  in  all,  may  come  to  us.    Amen. 

PUSEY. 


I 

THE  WORD  OF  THE  LORD 

MiCAH    i.    1. 


THE  WORD  OF  THE  LORD 

I.  Revelation. 

There  was  a  time  when  the  famiHar  phrase 
with  which  the  Book  of  Micah  begins 
would  have  been  accepted  without  question. 
To-day  it  challenges  thought.  To  some 
the  change  of  attitude  in  respect  of  the 
Divine  element  in  H0I7  Scripture  is  an 
offence,  to  others  it  has  meant  salvation 
from  unbelief ;  but  whichever  way  it  is, 
we  have  to  recognise  the  fact  that  we  live 
in  times  of  transition  and  new  interpreta- 
tion, and  that  transition  inevitably  involves 
unsettlement.  The  necessity  is  laid  upon 
all  alike  in  the  present  day  of  being  prepared 
with  a  reasoned  answer  to  the  question? 
Is  there  such  a  thing  as  the  word  of  the 
Lord  ?     Must  we  cast  on  one  side  the  idea 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

of  revelation,  as  part  of  the  childish  thought 
which  was  good  enough  for  a  past  age,  but 
cannot  survive  the  searching  criticism  of 
our  own  day  ? 

To  this  question  we  must  reply  that  God 
and  revelation  are  complementary  terms  : 
both  reason  and  experience  lead  us  to  this 
position.  Reason  demands  that  God  must 
be  the  perfection  of  all  that  is  good  and 
noble  and  true  ;  but  it  would  be  impossible 
to  maintain  belief  in  such  perfection,  if  it 
were  imagined  that  God  has  left  His  moral 
creatures  in  darkness  and  ignorance,  either 
in  respect  of  Himself  and  His  will,  or  in 
respect  of  their  own  duty  and  destiny. 
Reason  cannot  rest  satisfied  with  a  concep- 
tion of  God  from  which  the  idea  of  revela- 
tion is  eliminated. 

And  this  postulate  of  reason  is  supported 
by  the  testimony  of  experience  ;  for  amongst 
moral  beings  fatherhood,  which  is  true  to 
its  name,  involves  self-manifestation  to  the 
offspring.  A  man  who  allows  his  child  to 
grow  up  in  ignorance  of  him  has  denied  the 
most  elementary  conception  of  fatherhood. 

4 


The  Word  of  the  Lord 

Such  a  man  is  not  a  true  father ;  he  behaves 
in  a  manner  which  we  speak  of  as  unnatural. 
And  the  higher  we  look  in  the  scale  of 
virtue,  the  more  confidently  do  we  expect  to 
find  intercourse  between  father  and  child. 

Since,  then,  God  is  the  supreme  Father, 
the  creator  of  moral  beings,  from  whom  all 
fatherhood  in  heaven  and  on  earth  is  named  ; 
since,  moreover,  He  is  at  the  same  time  the 
perfection  of  goodness  (for  this  is  as  essential 
an  element  in  the  conception  of  God  as 
Fatherhood  is),  it  is  as  certain  as  anything 
can  be  that  God  has  revealed  Himself. 
The  fundamental  problem  of  revelation  is 
in  reality  a  problem  not  for  the  Christian, 
but  for  the  unbeliever.  The  true  form  of 
the  problem  is  not  "  How  can  a  man 
believe  that  God  has  revealed  Himself  ?  " 
but  "  How  can  a  man  justify  his  refusal  to 
believe  that  God  has  revealed  Himself  ? " 

It  is  possible  to  get  rid  of  the  problem 
by  denying  the  existence  of  God  ;  but  in 
that  case  a  man  must  discover  a  philosophy 
of  life  which  can  dispense  with  the  idea  of 
an  intelligent  First  Cause,  he  must  eliminate 

5 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

from  history  all  conception  of  an  over- 
ruling Providence,  he  must  find  some  means 
of  doing  away  with  the  fact  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Yet  even  Atheism  is  to  be  preferred  to 
Agnosticism,  for  the  conception  that  there 
may  be  God  but  nothing  is  or  can  be  known 
about  Him  is  condemned  alike  by  reason 
and  experience.  If  God  is,  then  the  word 
of  God  is  to  be  found  somewhere  and 
somehow. 

2.  Prophecy. 

A  prophet  was  a  man  through  whom 
revelation  was  mediated.  It  mattered  not 
what  form  the  revelation  took  :  it  might  be 
the  interpretation  of  past  experience,  or 
the  proclamation  of  present  duty,  or  the 
preparation  for  future  developments.  In 
any  case  the  prophet  was  the  forth-teller 
of  the  message  from  the  Lord.  But  while 
maintaining  this  larger  and  truer  conception 
of  the  prophet's  function  as  being  the  forth- 
teller  rather  than  the  foreteller,  we  must  be 
on  our   guard    against   a   capricious   refusal 

6 


The  Word  of  the  Lord 

to  recognise  the  element  of  prediction 
in  prophecy.  Reaction  from  the  fanciful 
exegesis  of  an  earlier  age  has  led  us  to  think 
more  readily  of  prophetic  reflection  upon 
the  past  than  of  prophetic  prediction  of 
the  future.  It  is  therefore  necessary  for 
us  to  remember  that  prediction  had  an 
established  place  in  Israelite  prophecy.  If 
it  were  not  so,  the  challenge  so  frequently 
addressed  to  idolaters  that  they  should 
declare  the  things  that  are  to  come  hereafter 
would  have  been  meaningless.-^ 

Moreover,  it  is  as  reasonable  to  believe  in 
prediction  as  an  essential  element  of  revelation 
as  it  is  to  regard  revelation  as  an  essential 
element  in  the  conception  of  God.  An 
alleged  revelation  of  God  which  gave  no 
indication  of  the  things  which  were  in  store 
would  on  that  very  account  have  been 
open  to  suspicion.  Surely  the  Lord  God 
will  do  nothing,  but  he  revealeth  his  secret 
unto  his  servants  the  frofhets,^ 

1  Cf.  Isa.  xli.  22  ff.,  xlii.  9,  xliii.  9,  xliv.  7  f., 
xlv.  2 1 ,  xlvi.  9  f.,  xlviii.  3  fF. 

2  Amos  iii.  7, 

7 


The   Prophecy  of  Micah 

But  let  us  return  to  tlie  idea  of  the 
prophet  as  the  forth- teller  of  the  revelation 
of  God.  It  was  the  word  of  the  Lord 
which  came  to  him.  In  other  words,  he 
was  the  messenger  of  God  to  the  Church, 
not  the  messenger  of  the  Church  to  her 
members.  True,  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Church,  and  it  was  through  his  fellowship 
in  her  life  that  he  was  prepared  for  the  recep- 
tion of  the  revelation,  but  that  fact  gave  to 
the  Church  no  part  or  lot  in  the  original 
mediating  of  the  particular  revelation.  Again, 
the  Church  was  in  existence  before  the 
prophet  was  born ;  and  after  the  delivery  of 
his  message  and  its  committal  to  writing,  the 
Church  acted  as  the  witness  and  keeper  of 
the  prophecy,  yet  this  did  not  constitute 
the  Church  the  author  of  the  message.  It 
was  the  word  of  the  Lord  which  was  thus 
written  and  preserved.  The  Church  was 
the  recipient,  witness,  and  keeper  of  it, 
but  not  the  originator.  The  language  in 
which  the  message  was  expressed,  the  garb 
in  which  the  truth  was  clothed,  were 
suggested    and    provided   by   the    times   in 

8 


The  Word  of  the  Lord 

which  the  prophet  lived  and  by  the  circum- 
stances of  the  prophet's  Hfe,  but  the  inner 
meaning,  the  underlying  idea,  the  enshrined 
truth,  was  of  and  from  the  Lord. 

We  have  here  the  explanation  of  the 
genesis  of  one  fragment  of  the  Bible,  but  it 
is  equally  applicable  to  the  other  books  of 
the  Divine  Library.  The  various  portions 
of  the  Bible  came  into  being  because  indi- 
vidual men  were  conscious  that  they  had 
revelation  to  record,  and  the  collections  of 
writings  which  make  up  the  two  Testaments 
came  into  being  because  there  was  a  general 
consciousness  that  the  claim  was  valid. 

The  historians  of  Israel  exhibit  a  con- 
sciousness that  they  are  recording  Divine 
revelation  in  history ;  the  Psalmists  give 
expression  to  the  working  of  the  Spirit 
in  their  meditations  and  aspirations ;  the 
Prophets  write  as  men  who  are  media  of 
direct  communication ;  the  Evangelists 
manifest  a  conviction  that  they  are  re- 
counting the  life  and  teaching  of  the 
Incarnate  Son  of  God  ;  the  Apostles  write 
their  Epistles  with  the  claim  made  or  im- 

9 


The  Prophecy   of  Micah 

plied  that  they  are  to  the  Church  of  the 
New  Covenant  what  the  Prophets  were  to 
the  Church  of  the  Old  Covenant.  Upon 
the  whole  volume  the  claim  is  stamped 
that  its  contents  came  to  be  written  because 
the  word  of  the  Lord  had  come,  whether 
directly  through  the  action  of  the  Spirit 
upon  the  mind  of  the  writer,  or  indirectly 
through  the  Providential  dealings  which 
the  writer  was  recording.  God  hath 
spoken — that  is  the  source  of  confidence, 
the  ground  of  appeal.  It  only  remained 
for  the  Church  to  recognise  the  claim,  to 
collect  the  writings  so  recognised,  to  pre- 
serve and  transmit  them  as  the  records 
of  revelation.  This  process  did  not  consti- 
tute the  Church  the  author  of  the  writings ; 
on  the  contrary,  the  writings  were  delivered 
to  the  Church,  and  are  the  supreme  court 
of  appeal  by  which  her  doctrine  has  to  be 
tested. 


10 


The  Word  of  the  Lord 

3.  The  Prophet. 

The  word  of  the  Lord  that  came  to  Micah, 

Micah  was  a  contemporary  of  Isaiah,  but 
the  qualifications,  opportunities,  and  out- 
look of  the  two  men  were  different.  Isaiah 
belonged  to  the  aristocracy,  Micah  to  the 
people  :  the  one  was  a  companion  of  princes, 
the  other  was  a  man  of  the  countryside. 
Isaiah  figured  largely  in  the  political  life 
of  the  nation,  Micah  devoted  himself  to 
its  social  and  religious  problems.  Isaiah's 
outlook  embraced  the  destiny  of  the  sur- 
rounding nations,  Micah  was  absorbed  by 
the  interests  of  his  own  people. 

The  comparison  provides  us  with  an 
illustration  of  the  Divine  method  which  is 
referred  to  in  Heb.  i.  i.  God  spake  in 
the  frofhets  by  divers  portions  and  in  divers 
manners.  He  employed  a  variety  of  in- 
strument and  method  to  present  the 
different  aspects  of  truth  and  to  fulfil 
different  parts  of  His  purpose.  It  was  so 
in  the  past,  and  it  is  so  still.     Amos  pro- 

II 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

claims  the  severity  of  offended  Righteous- 
ness, Hosea  gives  voice  to  wounded  Love. 
The  Lord  Jesus  mixed  with  men  as  the 
friend  of  pubHcans  and  sinners,  the  Baptist 
was  the  rigorous  ascetic,  living  in  the 
solitary  grandeur  of  the  desert.  The  im- 
petuous leader  of  men  is  pressed  into  the 
service,  in  the  person  of  St.  Peter ;  the 
possessor  of  a  heart  of  tenderness  and 
sympathy,  in  the  person  of  St.  Barnabas. 
The  Jewish  publican  takes  his  place  by  the 
side  of  the  Gentile  physician  as  transmitter 
of  the  Gospel  tradition.  St.  James  urges 
the  necessity  of  works,  against  the  lifeless 
formalism  of  barren  orthodoxy ;  St.  Paul 
emphasises  the  centrality  of  faith  in  contrast 
with  a  reliance  upon  ceremonial  activity. 
Thus  it  has  always  been,  and  thus  will  it 
continue  to  be  :  difference  of  qualification, 
difference  of  character,  difference  of  position, 
difference  of  emphasis,  but  underlying  all 
the  diversity,  unity  of  service,  and  pre- 
sentation of  the  one  revelation. 

It  was  this  fact  of  diversity  in  unity  which 
St.    Paul    proclaimed    in    the    face    of    the 

12 


The  Word  of  the  Lord 

jealousies  and  division  of  the  Church  at 
Corinth.^  On  the  one  hand  there  is  the 
one  sovereign  Spirit,  and  the  one  body  into 
which  He  incorporates  behevers ;  on  the 
other  hand  there  is  the  diversity  of  gift 
and  function  which  He  assigns  according 
to  His  will.  Hence  one  of  the  first  neces- 
sities for  the  servant  of  God  is  that  he 
should  recognise  his  own  gift  and  function. 
This  will  guard  him  against  despondency, 
when  he  finds  others  enjoying  what  he 
himself  does  not  possess.^  The  next 
necessity,  of  no  less  importance,  is  that  he 
shall  recognise  the  gifts  and  functions  of 
others.  This  will  save  him  from  exclusive- 
ness  and  pride. ^  x\nd  inasmuch  as  it  is 
to  service  that  the  believer  is  called,  and 
not  to  the  enjoyment  of  privilege  as  an 
end  in  itself,  there  is  yet  a  third  necessity. 
Each  must  strive  earnestly  for  the  best  gifts 
so  that  he  may  be  of  the  utmost  value  to 
the  body  of  which  he  has  been  made  a 
member.*     But  these  three  necessities  do  not 

^  I  Cor.  xii.  *  Jb'id.  14-20. 

3  Ibid,  21-26.  *  III  J.  27-31. 

13 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

make  up  the  whole  requirement  for  Christian 
service.  Neither  separately  nor  in  combina- 
tion do  they  constitute  the  life  without 
which  every  other  gift  is  rendered  in- 
eflFectual.^  And  this  gift  which  is  the 
greatest  of  all  gifts  is  offered  to  all  alike. 
It  is  the  gift  of  love,  the  very  nature  of 
God.2  This  each  can  possess,  this  each  must 
possess,  if  he  is  to  be  of  any  real  use  for  the 
service  of  God  here,  and  to  abide  in  the 
Presence  of  God  hereafter. 

1  I  Cor.  xiii.  i  ff.  *  i  St.  John  iv.  7  fF. 


14 


II 

JUDGMENT 

MiCAH    i.    2- 1 6. 


II 

JUDGMENT 

I.  The  Necessity  of  Judgment. 

The  acknowledgment  of  God  carries  with 
it  not  only  a  belief  in  revelation,  but  also 
the  recognition  of  Providence.  If  we 
allow  to  the  supreme  Personal  First  Cause 
no  directing  hand  in  nature  and  in  the 
actions  of  men,  we  ignore  the  demands 
of  reason  and  experience  as  clearly 
as  we  do  if  we  deny  the  possibility  of 
revelation.  For  such  a  conception  of  God 
would  be  infinitely  less  reasonable  than 
that  of  a  true  earthly  father  who  takes  no 
steps  to  order  the  circumstances  and  control 
the  actions  of  his  child.  Indeed,  it  is 
through  the  controlling  of  the  forces  of 
nature,  and  the  overruling  of  the  actions 
of  men,  that  we  may  expect  the  revelation 
of    the  character   and  the  will  of    God  to 

17 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

be  in  part  vouchsafed.  And  it  is  in  this 
co-operation  of  Providential  control  and 
spiritual  influence  that  men  have  often 
found  the  clearest  evidence  of  the  Divine 
will  and  purpose.  Instances  of  such  co- 
operation come  readily  to  mind  in  the 
processes  and  experiences  which  led  to  the 
sojourn  of  Israel  in  Egypt,  the  Exodus, 
and  the  establishment  of  the  Israelite 
monarchy.  We  see  it  at  work  in  the  birth 
of  Jesus  when  the  fulness  of  the  times  had 
come.  It  was  manifested  in  a  no  less 
remarkable  manner  in  the  sixteenth  century, 
when  the  intellectual,  social,  and  political 
movements  of  the  West  were  made  to  serve 
the  purposes  of  the  spiritual  revival  to 
which  that  century  gave  birth. 

In  other  words,  the  Lord  God  witnesses 
amongst  men  through  Providence  as  well 
as  through  His  word.  It  is  to  this  fact 
that  Micah  calls  attention  at  the  very 
beginning  of  his  message.  Hear,  ye  peoples, 
all  of  you  ;  hearken,  O  earth,  and  all  that 
therein  is:  and  let  the  Lord  God  be  witness 
against  you,  the  Lord  from  his  holy  temple, 

i8 


Judgment 

The  witness  was  to  be  catastrophic  in  its 
nature.  For,  behold,  the  Lord  cometh  forth 
out  of  his  flace,  and  will  come  down,  and 
tread  upon  the  high  places  of  the  earth.  And 
the  mountains  shall  be  molten  under  him,  and 
the  valleys  shall  be  cleft,  as  wax  before  the  fire, 
as  waters  that  are  poured  down  a  steep  place. 
Catastrophe,  then,  is  interpreted  as  God's 
witness  against  the  sin  of  men.  The  hoH- 
ness  of  God  when  confronted  with  the 
iniquity  of  man  must  act  as  well  as  speak. 
The  believer  in  Divine  sovereignty  will  be 
ready  to  acknowledge  this,  and  to  interpret 
the  experience  when  it  comes.  A  mech- 
anical conception  of  the  universe  blinds 
men's  eyes  to  the  witness  of  the  events 
of  life  ;  it  is  for  the  prophet  of  the  Lord 
to  interpret  them.  We  may  not,  of  course, 
find  an  explanation  of  every  event  in  the 
direct  intervention  of  God,  nor  can  we 
interpret  all  suffering  as  Divine  protest 
against  sin  :  if  we  were  to  attempt  to  do 
so,  we  should  do  violence  to  reason  and 
experience.  But  as  believers  in  moral 
government    we    must    hold    ourselves    in 

19 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

readiness  to  relate  our  experiences  to  Divine 
sovereignty,  and  to  see  in  history  the  w^ork- 
ing  out  of  Divine  purpose. 

It  fell  to  Micah's  lot  to  prepare  Judah 
and  Israel  for  the  immediate  future,  and 
to  proclaim  the  significance  of  the  coming 
catastrophe  as  the  Lord's  method  of  wit- 
nessing against  the  sin  of  His  people.  It 
was  for  the  transgression  of  Jacob,  It  was 
no  question  of  mere  ignorance  or  infirmity, 
but  of  deliberate  setting  at  naught  of  God's 
declared  will.  That  is  sin  in  its  most 
hideous  form.  Man  sets  up  his  own  will 
in  opposition  to  the  known  will  of  God, 
and  acts  in  disregard  of  His  revealed  com- 
mands. It  is  the  qualitative  rather  than 
the  quantitative  element  that  determines 
transgression.  We  are  reminded  of  this  at 
the  very  beginning  of  the  Bible.  If  sin 
were  estimated  quantitatively,  the  primitive 
story  of  the  Fall  would  leave  upon  the  mind 
a  most  disquieting  conception  of  dispro- 
portion between  the  punishment  and  the 
offence.  But,  when  the  qualitative  nature 
of  sin  is  admitted,  the  teaching  of  that  old 

20 


Judgment 

story  is  seen  to  be  enhanced  by  the  very 
simpHcity  of  the  offence.  For  it  is  in  the 
least  significant  choices  of  life  that  the  will 
has  the  freest  scope,  and  it  is  in  the  appar- 
ently unimportant  actions  that  it  finds  its 
truest  expression.  Our  Lord  emphas'sed  the 
same  truth  in  His  filling  out  of  the  Moral  Law. 
Holiness  and  sin  are  essentially  attitudes 
of  mind  and  will.  The  attitude  of  opposi- 
tion to  the  will  of  God  is  sin,  and  the 
expression  of  that  attitude  is  transgression. 
This  is  the  state  of  things  to  which  Divine 
economy  has  to  be  accommodated ;  it  is 
because  of  this  that  Divine  intervention 
cannot  limit  itself  to  the  manifestation 
of  love  ;  it  is  because  of  the  sin  of  man 
that  the  still  small  voice  has  at  times  to 
speak  of  slaying  with  the  sword,  and  to 
tell  of  judgment  rather  than  of  mercy. 

2.  The  Time  of  Judgment. 

Judah  and  Israel  were  guilty  of  persistent 
and  deliberate  transgression.  They  were  in 
possession    of    sufficient    knowledge    of   the 

21 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

Lord  to  enable  them  to  understand  His 
claims  upon  them ;  they  knew  that  He 
was  unwilling  to  give  His  glory  to  another  ; 
their  experience  had  shown  them  that  His 
claims  to  their  allegiance  were  based  upon 
His  constant  care  of  them  ;  they  were  well 
aware  that  they  owed  their  deliverance  from 
Egypt  and  their  possession  of  Canaan  to 
His  intervention  in  their  behalf ;  yet  in 
spite  of  it  all  they  turned  away  to  serve 
other  gods ;  the  centres  of  their  religious 
and  national  life  were  made  the  head- 
quarters of  their  idolatrous  worship  ;  they 
played  the  harlot  (vers.  6,  7). 

The  reason  of  their  apostasy  is  sufficiently 
indicated  in  the  words,  She  gathered  it  of 
the  hire  of  an  harlot.  Idolatry  had  seemed 
to  them  to  offer  the  best  advantages ;  they 
were  out  for  worldly  gain. 

The  imagery  of  playing  the  harlot  corre- 
sponds to  the  figure  under  which  God  was 
represented  as  the  Husband  of  His  people.^ 
Incidentally    we    may    notice    the    applica- 

^  Cf.  Ex.  xxxiv.  15  f. ;  Deut.  xxxi.  16  j  Hos.  i.  2  ; 
Jer   xxxi.  32. 

22 


Judgment 

tion  of  the  figure  in  the  New  Testament 
to  our  Lord,  after  the  manner  in  which  so 
much  of  the  earHer  language  used  of  the 
Lord  God  is  applied  to  Him.^  It  is  the 
unhesitating  use  of  such  language  which 
affords  the  strongest  evidence  of  the  Apos- 
tolic conception  of  the  Person  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  indeed  of  His  own  claims.  But 
to  return  to  the  Old  Testament  imagery, 
it  would  be  difficult  to  find  any  language 
which  could  express  more  vividly  the  claims 
of  God  upon  His  people,  and  exhibit  more 
clearly  the  terrible  sin  of  idolatry.  God 
had  made  Himself  known  to  them,  He  had 
entered  into  covenant  relationship  with 
them,  He  had  made  that  relationship  a 
reality  by  His  constant  intercourse  and 
love.  His  claim  to  their  allegiance  was 
based  not  merely  upon  the  contract  which 
they  had  accepted,  but  also  upon  His 
tender  care  of  them  and  His  strong  inter- 
ventions in  their  behalf.  He  had,  more- 
over, made  it  clear  to  them  at  the  outset 

1  Cf.    St.  Matt.  ix.   15,  XXV.  i  ;    St.  John    iii.  29; 
Rev.  xxi.  2,  9. 

23 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

that  He  would  brook  no  rival.  /  the  Lord 
thy  God  am  a  jealous  God  was  part  of  the 
covenant  revelation.  Yet  they  had  proved 
faithless ;  they  had  deserted  Him  and 
joined  themselves  to  other  gods. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  the  word  "  jealous  " 
should  have  so  deteriorated  in  meaning 
through  the  sinfulness  of  men  as  to  indicate 
a  quality  to  be  deprecated  and  abjured. 
It  was  not  always  so ;  ^  and  when  we  use 
the  word  to  describe  an  attribute  of  God, 
we  must  rid  our  minds  of  those  evil  associa- 
tions which  man  has  gathered  round  it, 
and  remember  that  it  expresses  an  essential 
element  of  Deity.  God  cannot  share  His 
prerogatives  with  another  ;  His  claims  are 
absolute.  Our  conception  of  God  would 
vanish  if  we  could  think  of  Him  as  assenting 
to  idolatry.  The  jealousy  of  God  is  an 
attribute  which  is  essentially  involved  in 
His  relation  to  His  moral  creation.  And 
when  His  people  are  guilty  of  persistent 
repudiation  of  His  claims,  the  jealousy  of 
God  inevitably  expresses  itself  in  judgment. 

1  Cf.  I  Kings  xix.  lo. 
24 


Judgment 

Such  was  the  state  of  things  which  Micah 
had  to  declare:  the  time  had  come  when  judg- 
ment was  inevitable.  He  rzoounds  are  incur- 
able  (ver.  9).  The  words  remind  us  of  the 
Divine  lament  voiced  by  Hosea  {when  I  would 
have  healed  Israel),^  and  of  the  thwarted  love 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  {How  often  would  I  have 
gathered  thy  children  .  .  .  and  ye  would  not)} 

Oh  !  the  depths  of  the  Divine  condescen- 
sion !  God  allows  His  love  and  power  to 
be  limited  by  the  will  of  man.  So  it  must 
be.  The  creation  of  beings  in  the  image 
of  God,  and  after  His  likeness,  involved 
from  one  point  of  view  Divine  self-mani- 
festation, inasmuch  as  the  Divine  nature 
was  in  part  communicated  to  man ;  but 
from  another  point  of  view  it  involved 
Divine  self-limitation,  inasmuch  as  the 
will  of  man  can  say  Him  nay.  And  when 
judgment  falls,  it  means  that  man  has 
thwarted  God's  purposes  of  love  for  him  ; 
when  the  Almighty  declares  the  wound 
incurable,  it  means  not  that  God  has  not 
the  will  or  power  to  save,  but  that  man 
1  H08.  vii.  I.  *  St.  Matt,  xxiii.  37. 

25 


The  Prophecy   of  Micah 

has   used  his   God-given   faculties  to  make 
his  salvation   impossible.     The  settled  im- 
penitent state  can  only  result  in  judgment, 
for  judgment  is   the  sole  remaining  means 
of  manifesting  the  Divine  glory  and  vindi- 
cating the  Divine  character.     The  idea  of 
judgment  is  as  essential  to  the  idea  of  God 
as  is  that  of  revelation.     Creation  is  not  a 
purposeless  manifestation  of  energy,  revela- 
tion   is    not    a    purposeless    declaration    of 
character,  redemption  is  not  a  purposeless 
activity   of   love  :     and   purpose   inevitably 
involves    judgment.     The    goodness,    for- 
bearance, and  long-suffering  of  God  cause 
postponement   of  judgment,   but   it   is   no 
more    conceivable    that    they    shall    cancel 
ultimate    judgment    than    it    is    that    they 
shall  obliterate  man's  will-power  and  reduce 
him  to  a  machine.     And  if  the  purpose  of 
God  that  His  goodness   shall  lead  men  to 
repentance  is  rendered  ineffective  by  man's 
hardness  of  heart  and  impenitence,  nothing 
can  save  man  from  the  day  of  wrath  and  of 
the  righteous  judgment  of  God.^ 

1  Rom.  ii    4flf. 

26 


Ill 

SIN 
MicAH  iL 


Ill 

SIN 

I.  Sin  and  Character. 

After  a  pictorial  description  of  the  judg- 
ment which  was  about  to  fall,  the  Prophet 
proceeds  to  portray  in  vivid  language  the 
state  of  moral  and  religious  corruption  in 
which  the  people  were  living.  They  were 
not  the  victims  of  circumstances  :  it  was 
not  upon  sins  of  infirmity  or  ignorance  that 
judgment  was  pronounced.  The  conduct  of 
the  people  was  the  expression  of  a  settled 
purpose.  They  did  not  stumble  into  sin  ; 
they  invented  it.  Their  case  was  not  like 
that  of  the  man  who  is  suddenly  confronted 
with  temptation  :  they  had  cultivated  the 
evil  mind  which  drags  sin  with  cart-rofes. 
They  set  themselves  to  devise  evil  :  they 
even   denied   themselves   sleep   in   order   to 

29 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

plan  it.  The  last  hours  of  consciousness 
were  given  up  to  it,  the  last  hours  of  dark- 
ness were  spent  upon  it,  the  early  morning 
light  saw  them  at  work  on  it.  So  low 
had  public  opinion  fallen  that  evil  had  no 
need  to  resort  to  its  usual  plan  of  opera- 
ting in  the  dark  :  there  was  no  reason  for  it 
to  refrain  from  coming  to  the  light. ^  There 
was  nothing  to  restrain  the  workers  of  it 
but  the  limits  of  their  own  opportunity 
and  ability.  They  carried  out  whatever 
was  in  the  fower  of  their  hand  (ver.   i). 

Before  passing  away  from  this  statement 
of  the  process  and  environment  of  the 
people's  wickedness,  let  us  gather  up  some 
teaching  about  sin  which  the  description 
suggests.  That  sin  is  essentially  a  matter 
of  will  we  noticed  in  the  foregoing  chapter  : 
here  we  get  a  warning,  which  emphasises 
the  point,  against  a  superficial  estimate  of 
our  life.  If  the  public  opinion  which 
constitutes  our  environment  were  lower 
than  it  is,  if  the  society  around  us  enforced 
no  penalties,  exercised  no  ostracism,  im- 
1  Cf.  St.  John  iii.  20. 
30 


Sin 

posed  no  restraint,  what  would  our  conduct 
be  ?  This  is  a  truer  test  of  character  than 
that  which  is  afforded  by  mere  examination 
of  the  things  which  we  actually  do.  If  we 
were  to  find  a  particular  line  of  evil  conduct 
in  the  power  of  our  hand,  so  that  we  could 
practise  it  without  let  or  hindrance,  would 
we  pursue  it  ?  We  can  be  thankful  indeed 
for  the  restraining  influence  of  environment, 
we  may  lament  rightly  the  flaunting  of 
evil  on  the  stage,  in  fiction,  and  in  actual 
practice,  which  leads  to  any  lowering  of 
public  opinion  and  to  the  withdrawal  of 
the  necessity  for  evil  to  dwell  in  the  dark- 
ness, but  we  must  be  careful  at  the  same 
time  not  to  identify  a  mere  conformity  to 
environment,  which  may  be  only  cowardice 
written  large,  with  a  character  of  innocence. 
The  important  lesson  which  seems  to 
emerge  from  this  line  of  thought  is  that 
of  the  supreme  necessity  of  character.  We 
are  challenged  to  the  exercise  of  a  certain 
independence  of  environment  and  to  the 
cultivation  of  a  self-disciplined  will.  We 
must    see    to   it    that    our    conduct   is    the 

31 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

expression    of    our  own  character  and  not 
a  mere  veneer  of  external  impression. 

It  may  be  that  we  shall  find  here  a  ray 
of  light  cast  upon  the  abandonment  of 
conventional  religion  which  is  characteristic 
of  our  time.  It  is  commonly  said  that 
men  have  ceased  to  be  religious,  but  the 
truer  explanation  appears  to  be  that  con- 
ventional religion  is  disappearing.  There 
are  not  fewer  or  less  fervent  God-fearing 
men  than  there  used  to  be  ;  on  the  contrary, 
the  evidence  of  Christian  activities  seems 
to  point  to  the  very  opposite.  What  has 
happened  is  that  men  now  have  it  in  the 
power  of  their  hand  to  ignore  the  con- 
ventions of  religion,  churchgoing  has 
largely  ceased  to  be  the  thing  to  do,  and 
the  expression  of  religion  is  left  to  those 
who  have  the  desire  for  it.  It  is  manifest 
that  this  involves  the  withdrawal  from  the 
influences  of  institutional  religion  of  many 
whose  eyes  might  have  been  opened  through 
it,  or  whose  conduct  at  least  might  have 
been  affected  by  it.  On  the  other  hand, 
there  is  this  one  gain,  that  religiousness  and 

32 


Sin 

religion  have  been  drawn  together  more 
closely,  there  is  less  of  the  divorce  between 
form  and  reality,  there  is  more  correspond- 
ence between  conduct  and  character. 

2.  Sin  and  Patriotism. 

One  of  the  evils  which  were  particularly 
pronounced  amongst  the  contemporaries 
of  Micah  was  covetousness ;  and  this 
found  its  expression  in  robbery  and  violence 
(vers.  2,  8  f.).  Now  this  was  not  merely  an 
offence  against  the  victims  :  it  was  also  an 
offence  against  the  national  life.  We  re- 
member the  reason  for  Naboth's  unwilling- 
ness to  part  with  his  vineyard  for  the 
gratifying  of  King  Ahab's  whim,  l^he 
Lord  forbid  it  me  that  I  should  give  the 
inheritance  of  my  fathers  unto  thee}  The 
attachment  of  an  Israelite  to  his  inheritance 
entered  deeply  into  the  national  spirit  : 
it  was  an  important  element  in  the 
patriotism  of  the  people.  Consequently 
the  oppression  of  a  man  and  his  house^  even 

^  I  Kings  xxi.  3. 

33 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

a  man  and  his  heritage,  was  not  merely  the 
transgression  of  the  law  of  conscience,  it  was 
also  the  doing  despite  to  a  national  institu- 
tion :  it  was  an  offence  against  patriotism. 

This  is  an  aspect  of  evil-doing  which 
deserves  attention.  The  effects  of  sin  are 
not  confined  to  the  oppressor  and  his 
victim ;  they  reach  a  wider  circle  than  that. 
Nor  is  it  merely  that  the  family  circle  of 
the  evil-doer  is  involved  in  the  shame  and 
possibly  the  loss  which  the  consequences 
of  the  action  may  involve.  The  effects 
reach  further  than  that.  Evil  is  an  ele- 
ment of  decay  and  corruption  in  the  life 
of  the  nation,  and  the  evil-doer  must  be 
branded  as  an  offender  against  patriotism, 
one  who  lowers  national  ideals  and  weakens 
national  spirit. 

3.  Sin  and  the  Glory  of  God. 

There  is  yet  another  and  still  more 
grievous  aspect  of  sin  which  finds  illustra- 
tion in  the  language  of  Micah.  The 
robbery  of  which  so  many  of  the  people 

34 


Sin 

were  guilty  was  the  robbery  not  merely  of 
their  fellow-men,  but  also  of  God.  From 
their  children  have  ye  taken  away  my  glory 
for  ever  (ver.  9).  The  prosperity  of  God's 
people  is  a  matter  which  concerns  His 
glory  as  well  as  their  welfare.  Can  we  not, 
for  example,  imagine  the  blasphemous 
taunts  of  the  Philistines  when  they  found 
themselves  in  possession  of  the  Ark,  whose 
presence  in  the  camp  of  Israel  they  had  so 
much  dreaded  ?  Yet  on  account  of  the 
sin  of  Israel,  and  for  the  sake  of  their  educa- 
tion, God  delivered  His  glory  into  the 
enemy's  hand.^  Have  we  not  listened  in 
thought  to  the  scathing  jeers  of  the  Chief 
Priests,  Scribes,  and  Elders  when  they  saw 
the  Holy  Victim  of  their  hatred  nailed  to 
the  cross  ?  He  saved  others ;  himself  he 
cannot  save.  If  he  be  the  King  of  Israel,  let 
him  now  come  down  from  the  cross  and  we  will 
believe  him,^  Yet  because  of  man's  sin 
there  had  to  be  that  hour  and  the  power 
of  darkness.     Similarly  when  judgment  fell 

1  I  Sam.  iv.  i-ii  ;   Ps.  Ixxviii.  61. 
*  St.  Matt,  xxvii.  42. 

35 


The   Prophecy  of  Micah 

upon  Judah,  so  that  they  had  none  to  cast 
a  cord  by  lot'^  in  the  congregation  of  the 
Lord,  and  His  glory  was  taken  away  from 
their  children  for  ever,  it  was  not  they  alone 
who  suffered  :  the  Lord  suffered  with  His 
people.^ 

This  is  an  ancient  conception  of  sin,® 
but  it  is  one  which  requires  much  more 
attention  than  it  receives.  Men  must  learn 
to  view  sin  as  the  robbery  of  God,  and  to 
think  of  the  judgment  which  has  to  fall 
upon  God's  children  when  they  sin,  as  in- 
volving loss  for  the  glory  of  God.*  It  was 
this  conception  which  in  part  accounted 
for  the  despondent  cry  of  the  Psalmists 
when  they  witnessed  and  shared  in  the 
sufferings  of  God's  people,^  and  for  their 
prayer  of  imprecation  against  their  enemies, 
who  were  also  the  enemies  of  God.®  The 
cry  and  the  prayer  alike  were  expressions 

1  See  Neil,  Everyday  Life  in  the  Holy  Land,  p.  92. 

*  See  also  ch.  iii.  12.  *  Cf.  Ps.  Ixxix. 

*  A  good  illustration  of  the  point  is  provided  in  the 
story  of  Achan.     Cf.  Josh.  vi.  19,  vii.  21  fF. 

*  Ps.  Ixxiii.  ®  Ps.  Ixxxiii. 

36 


Sin 

of  yearning  for  the  vindication  of  God's 
character,  and  for  the  manifestation  of  His 
glory.  They  looked  for  the  complete  ex- 
hibition of  Divine  righteousness  and  judg- 
ment on  this  side  of  the  grave,  and  therefore 
for  a  marked  distinction  of  prosperity  and 
adversity  for  the  friends  and  the  enemies 
of  God.  Consequently  any  reversal  of 
this  experience  involved  a  clouding  over 
of  the  glory  of  God,  and  led  to  the  fervent 
prayer  to  God  to  vindicate  Himself.  We 
of  the  New  Covenant  are  able  to  think 
differently  about  suffering  and  judgment. 
At  the  same  time  the  principle  remains 
that  the  glory  of  God  is  involved  in  the 
actions  and  experiences  of  men.  Sin  is  still 
a  coming  short  of  the  glory  of  God,  the 
failures  of  God's  people  are  still  occasions 
for  the  blaspheming  of  the  word  of  God, 
judgments  which  fall  upon  the  Church 
still  have  the  appearance  of  disasters  for 
the  cause  of  God.  The  removal  of  the 
candlestick  will  always  be  the  withdrawal 
of  a  means  of  light.^ 

1  Rev.  ii.  5. 

37 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 


4.  Sin  and  Unbelief. 

Let  us  notice,  in  closing,  the  intimate 
connection  that  there  is  between  moral 
corruption  and  spiritual  blindness.  The 
men  whose  minds  were  set  on  violence 
and  robbery  were  the  men  who  accepted 
as  their  prophets  advocates  of  wine  and 
strong  drink  (ver.  11).  How  could  it  have 
been  otherwise  ?  If  belief  is  to  be  any- 
thing more  than  mental  assent,  it  must  be 
accompanied  by  sympathy.  Faith  is  an 
activity  of  heart  and  will  as  well  as  of 
mind.  It  is  only  the  pure  in  heart  who  can 
see  God  ;  ^  it  is  only  those  who  have  been 
born  anew  who  can  see  the  kingdom  of 
God ;  ^  it  is  with  the  heart  that  man 
believeth  unto  righteousness.^  These  are 
not  expressions  of  a  capricious  decree,  but 
of  a  natural  law.  Faith  involves  sympathy 
with  its  object.  Unbelief  may  be  honestly 
intellectual,   but  it  may  also  be  dishonest 

1  St.  Matt.  V.  8.  2  St.  John  iii.  3. 

3  Rom.  X.  10. 

38 


Sin 

and  immoral.  And  when  the  roots  of  un- 
beHef  are  embedded  in  immorality,  argu- 
ment and  appeal  to  the  intellect  are  vain. 
The  only  remedy  is  that  of  a  changed  heart. 
And  when  the  appeal  of  love  has  been 
spurned,  the  only  hope  that  remains  is  the 
fire  of  catastrophe. 


39 


IV 

RESPONSIBILITY 

MiCAH  iii. 


IV 

RESPONSIBILITY 

A  NEW  section  of  the  Prophecy  begins  at 
the  third  chapter  ;  and  Micah's  attention  is 
now  turned  to  the  leaders  of  the  people. 
He  addresses  himself  first  to  their  civil  rulers, 
the  frinces  of  the  house  of  Israel,  and  then  to 
their  spiritual  guides,  the  prophets.  In 
each  case  the  same  note  is  struck  :  privilege 
involves  obligation,  and  obligation  involves 
responsibility.  The  failure  of  the  rulers 
to  fulfil  their  obligations  rendered  them 
responsible  for  the  corruption  of  the  people. 

I.  The  Princes  and  Rulers. 

What  was  the  obligation  which  rested 
upon  the  civil  leaders  ?  It  was  to  know 
judgment.     This  does   not   mean  that  they 

43 


The   Prophecy  of  Micah 

had  to  be  experts  in  legal  technicalities. 
Such  knowledge  and  experience  might  have 
been  expected  in  the  judges  of  the  people, 
but  it  is  not  in  view  in  this  phrase,  to  know 
judgment.  Nor  does  it  mean  that  they 
were  expected  to  understand  the  broad 
principles  of  justice,  though  this  was  cer- 
tainly a  necessary  condition  of  their  office. 
The  word  know  is  used  here  in  the  sense 
of  heart-knowledge.  It  implies  a  special 
interest  in,  sympathy  with,  devotion  to  the 
object  so  known ;  it  practically  amounts 
to  love.^  Again,  the  word  judgment  here 
means  more  than  verdict,  decision,  law : 
it  carries  with  it  the  idea  of  right  verdict, 
correct  decision,  just  law.  The  whole 
phrase  to  know  judgment  signifies  to  love 
justice,  to  see  that  law  is  fairly  administered. 
This  was  the  obligation  which  was  involved 
in  the  position,  knowledge,  and  privilege  of 
the  civil  heads  of  Israel ;  but  it  was  unful- 
filled. They  set  the  example  of  oppression, 
injustice,  and  violence  :  the  condition  of  the 

1  For  this  use  of  knoiVy   cf.   Deut.  ii.  7  ;    Hos.  xiii. 
5  ;  Amos  iii.  2  ;   Nah.  i.  7  ;   2  Tim.  ii.  19. 

44 


Responsibility 

people  was  but  the  reflection  of  the  character 
of  their  leaders. 

And  what  was  the  punishment  which 
would  be  meted  out  to  them  ?  In  their 
hour  of  need  they  would  cry  unto  the 
Lord,  but  He  would  not  hear  them  :  they 
would  turn  to  Him  for  help  and  deliverance, 
but  He  would  hide  His  face  from  them. 
Their  own  conduct  was  to  determine  the 
nature  of  their  punishment.  The  same 
law  would  apply  to  the  rulers  as  to  the 
people  generally.  The  people  had  op- 
pressed the  weak  among  them,  and  had  laid 
violent  hands  upon  their  possessions  :  their 
punishment  would  be  that  they  themselves 
would  be  violently  dispossessed  of  their  ill- 
gotten  gains. ^  Arise  ye  and  depart,  for  this 
is  not  your  rest,  was  the  cry  of  expulsion 
which  would  reach  their  ears.  Similarly 
the  rulers  who  had  often  turned  a  deaf  ear 
to  the  entreaties  of  the  oppressed,  and  had 
hid  their  faces  from  those  who  cried  to 
them  for  justice,  would  now  find  that  in 
their   own   hour   of   need   their   entreating 

^  Ch.  ii.  4f.,  lo. 

45 


The  Prophecy   of  Micah 

of   the   Lord  would   be   of   no   avail,  and 
that  He  would  hide  His  face  from  them. 

But    there    is    more    in    the    Prophet's 
denunciation  of  the  rulers  than  a  statement 
of   correspondence   between   their    sin    and 
the    punishment   which    was    to  ensue  :    it 
throws  light  upon  the  condition  of  effectual 
prayer.     Sin  separates  man  from  God,  and, 
when   persisted   in,    disqualifies   a   man   for 
access   to  the   throne   of  grace.     It   is   the 
prayer  of  the  righteous   man  that  availeth 
much.      The  eyes   of   the  Lord  are  toward 
the   righteous^    and   his   ears   are   open   unto 
their  cry.     The  face  of  the  Lord  is  against 
them  that  do  evil,  to  cut  of  the  remembrance 
of  them  from    the  earth.  .  .  .  The   Lord  is 
nigh  unto  them  that  are  of  a  broken  hearty 
and  saveth  such   as  be  of  a  contrite  spirit} 
Under  the   New  Covenant  it  is  prayer  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  to  which  the 
promises  are  given  ;   and  prayer  in  the  name 
of  Jesus  means  that  the  man  who  so  prays 
shows   the   character   of  Jesus,   accepts   the 
standpoint    of    Jesus,    adopts      His    outlook 
1  Ps.  xxxiv.  1 5  fF. 

46 


Responsibility 

upon  life  and  the  world,  and  in  heart  and 
will  is  in  general  sympathy  with  Him. 
There  is  no  promise  of  answer  to  the  mere 
offering  of  petition.  And  yet  how  many 
there  are  who  neglect  God  until  the  hour 
of  affliction  comes,  and  then  cry  to  Him  for 
deliverance,  and  blaspheme  because  no  relief 
is  granted.  Such  men  must  be  told  that 
there  are  conditions  of  effectual  prayer 
which  can  only  be  fulfilled  by  those  who 
are  sons  of  God  by  faith  in  Jesus  Christ. 

2.  The  Priests  and  the  Prophets. 

The  ecclesiastical  and  religious  leaders  of 
the  people  were  in  no  better  case  than  the 
civil  rulers  :  they  used  their  influence  and 
position  for  the  purpose  of  leading  the 
people  astray.  They  were  sinners  against 
the  light.  They  were  not  good-intentioned 
men  who  had  unwittingly  followed  error 
and  led  others  after  them.  They  were  not 
pioneers  paying  the  penalty  of  experimental 
work  in  the  early  stages  of  thought  and 
practice.     They  had  nothing  of  the  nobility 

47 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

of  aim  and  courage  of  conviction  which 
went  so  far  to  counterbalance  the  errors  of 
many  leaders  of  thought  in  the  Christian 
Church,  whom  we  are  accustomed  to  regard 
as  heretics.  These  prophets  of  Judah  be- 
longed to  a  totally  different  category.  Their 
God  was  their  belly.  If  men  fed  them, 
they  were  prepared  to  live  at  peace  with 
them,  and  to  encourage  them  in  any  line 
of  action  which  they  wished  to  follow  :  if 
men  refused  to  give  them  what  they  wanted, 
they  set  up  intrigue  against  them,  they 
sanctified  war  against  them  (ver.  5,  R.V.mg.), 
they  cast  a  cloak  of  sacred  duty  over  organised 
attack  upon  them. 

And  what  was  their  punishment  to  be  ? 
Once  again  we  can  perceive  a  principle  of 
correspondence.  As  they  had  chosen  not 
to  see  the  light,  so  now  the  possibility  of 
seeing  would  be  removed.  As  they  had 
chosen  to  live  by  bread  alone,  so  now  there 
was  to  be  a  famine  in  the  land,  not  a  famine 
of  bread,  nor  a  thirst  for  water,  but  of 
hearing  the  words  of  the  Lord.  It  shall  he 
night  unto  you  that  ye  shall  have  no  vision  ; 

48 


Responsibility 

and  it  shall  he  dark  unto  you  that  ye  shall 
not  divine,  .  .  .  And  the  seers  shall  he 
ashamed,  and  the  diviners  confounded  ;  yea, 
they  shall  all  cover  their  lips :  for  there  is  no 
answer  of  God}  Just  as  sin  had  caused  a 
separation  between  the  rulers  and  God  in 
respect  of  their  petitions  being  answered, 
so  the  sin  of  the  prophets  had  caused  a 
separation  between  God  and  them  in  respect 
of  vision  and  message. 

3.  The  True  Prophet. 

Following  immediately  upon  the  descrip- 
tion of  the  blindness  and  spiritual  bank- 
ruptcy of  the  false  prophets,  there  comes, 
in  striking  contrast,  a  picture  of  the 
prophet  of  the  Lord  (vers.  8-12).  His 
is  a  voice  with  authority,  the  authority 
which  is  born  of  the  consciousness  of 
a  will  surrendered  to  God  and  of  a 
personality  energised  by  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord.  Micah  is  full  of  power,  judgment, 
and  might  for  the  purpose  of  his  ministry. 
^  Vers.  5-7  ;  cf.  Amos  viii.  1 1 . 

49 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

The  claim  reminds  us  of  the  boldness  of 
St.  Paul  :  God  has  given  to  us  the  spirit  of 
power  and  love  and  discipline}  There  is 
nothing  presumptuous  in  such  a  claim.  It 
is  the  response  of  faith  to  Divine  promise, 
the  answer  of  a  good  conscience  to  Divine 
revelation,  the  confidence  which  comes 
through  the  experience  of  Divine  power. 
No  man  can  be  the  prophet  of  the  Lord 
unless  he  be  conscious  of  Divinely  given 
power  and  judgment  for  the  purpose  of  his 
ministry.  It  is  an  axiom  of  ministerial 
work  that  God's  calling  is  God's  enabling. 

And  what  was  the  purpose  for  which 
Micah  had  received  power  ?  It  was  to 
declare  unto  Jacob  his  transgression  and 
to  Israel  his  sin  (ver.  8).  The  sense  in 
which  the  words  are  to  be  taken  is  evident 
from  the  message  which  follows  them.  It 
was  the  proclamation  of  the  responsibility 
of  the  leaders  for  the  judgment  which  was 
about  to  fall.  The  time  for  repentance 
had  passed  :  the  prophet's  work  now  was 
to    interpret    the    impending   catastrophe. 

1  2  Tim.  i.  7. 

SO 


Responsibility 

All  were  wallowing  in  the  mire  of  covetous- 
ness.  Princes,  priests,  prophets  were  all 
alike  tarred  with  the  same  brush.  Reward, 
hire,  money  were  the  only  things  for  which 
they  lived,  and  they  supplied  the  only  in- 
centives to  their  activity.  And  with  it  all 
there  was  a  deadly  self-deception  :  yet 
will  they  lean  wpon  the  Lord,  and  say,  Is 
not  the  Lord  in  the  midst  of  us  ?  no  evil  shall 
come  upon  us  (ver.  ii).  They  ignored  the 
law  of  human  co-operation,  the  principle 
of  correspondence.  Promises  which  were 
intended  to  be  the  ground  of  confidence  for 
a  people  who  truly  served  the  Lord  were 
interpreted  as  guarantees  of  an  absolute 
inviolability  and  an  unconditional  im- 
munity from  trouble.  The  ceremonial  and 
institutional  bond  between  the  Lord  and 
the  people  was  accepted  as  a  substitute 
for  the  moral  and  spiritual  union.  And  now 
they  were  to  learn  through  punishment 
the  lesson  of  their  responsibility.  For  their 
sake,  that  is  to  say,  because  they  had  sinned 
and  in  order  that  they  might  be  purified 
through  the  fire  of  chastisement,  Zion,  the 

51 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

city  of  their  God,  the  inviolable  city,  was 
to  be  ploughed  as  a  field,  Jerusalem  was  to 
become  heaps,  and  the  mountain  of  the 
house  was  to  be  as  the  high  places  of  a 
forest  (ver.  12). 

What  a  warning  for  God's  people  for  all 
time  !  The  glory  of  the  Lord  is  in  our 
hands  as  truly  as  are  our  own  welfare 
and  salvation.  The  promise  given  to  the 
Christian  Church  of  permanence  and  ulti- 
mate victory  over  the  gates  of  Hell  is 
entirely  compatible  with  the  overthrow 
of  any  particular  church  or  the  downfall 
of  any  particular  empire.  God's  word  will 
not  return  to  Him  void,  but  His  method 
of  fulfilling  it  allows  for  the  co-operation 
of  man.  For  man's  sake  He  may  at  any 
time  allow  His  glory  to  suffer  eclipse  : 
indeed,  it  may  be  that  the  only  means 
whereby  He  can  ultimately  accomplish 
His  purpose  is  that  He  shall  for  a  time 
deliver  His  glory  into  the  enemy's  hand. 


52 


V 

THE  FAITHFULNESS  OF  GOD 
MicAH  iv. 


THE  FAITHFULNESS  OF  GOD 

Man  may  prove  faithless,  but  God's  purpose 
will  not  fail.  His  power  and  sovereignty 
will  be  vindicated  even  if  accommodation 
to  man's  sin  requires  that  His  glory  shall  be 
temporarily  hidden.  This  is  the  triumph- 
ant message  introduced  by  the  hut  which 
stands  at  the  beginning  of  the  fourth  chapter 
of  the  prophecy.  The  mountain  of  the 
house  shall  he  as  the  high  places  of  the  forest. 
But  in  the  latter  days  it  shall  come  to  pass  that 
the  mountain  of  the  house  of  the  Lord  shall 
he  estahlished  in  the  top  of  the  mountains,  and 
it  shall  he  exalted  ahove  the  hills  ;  and  peoples 
shall  flow  unto  it, 

I.  Faith  and  Hope. 

It  is  the  confidence  that  God's  word  will 
not     return    to    Him     void     that     enables 

55 


The  Prophecy   of  Micah 

the  believer  to  triumph  in  the  hour  of 
apparent  defeat,  and  to  be  a  man  of  hope 
in  the  midst  of  circumstances  which  seem  to 
preclude  hope.  It  was  in  the  strength  of 
this  confidence  that  Abraham  was  able  in 
hope  to  beheve  against  hope,  being  fully 
assured  that  what  God  had  promised  He 
was  also  able  to  perform.^  It  was  the  same 
confidence  which  rendered  him  willing  to 
offer  up  Isaac  at  God's  bidding ;  for  he 
was  persuaded  that  God's  promise  in  Isaac 
would  be  fulfilled  even  if  it  involved  a 
resurrection  from  the  dead.* 

This  faith  of  Abraham,  which  is  presented 
to  us  as  the  example  for  all  time,^  was  not 
blind  credulity,  but  an  attitude  towards 
God  which  was  based  upon  experience. 
From  the  first  recorded  exercise  of  his  trust 
in  God,  when  he  left  his  home  and  kindred, 
Abraham  advanced  from  faith  to  faith, 
until  he  was  able  to  face  that  supreme  trial 
when  God  proved  him  by  the  command 
to  offer  up  Isaac.     Each  step   involved   an 

1  Rom.  iv.  i8  ff.  «  Heb.  xi.  17  ff. 

^  Rom.  iv.  24. 

S6 


The   Faithfulness  of  God 

experience    which    prepared    him    for    the 
next. 

We  do  not  know  enough  of  Micah's  early 
life  to  be  able  to  say  that  his  faith  was 
similarly  based  upon  his  own  experience  : 
but  in  so  far  as  it  was  exercised  in  respect  oi 
his  nation's  future,  we  can  well  believe  that 
he  found  the  ground  of  it  in  the  nation's 
history.  Israel  had  not  been  chosen  out 
from  among  the  nations  of  the  world  for 
nothing.  The  birth  of  the  nation  had  been 
as  clearly  the  fulfilment  of  Divine  promise 
as  the  birth  of  Isaac  had  been.  More- 
over, the  history  of  the  nation  had  been  one 
long  record  of  the  manifestation  of  Divine 
purpose  and  power.  And  it  was  impossible 
for  one  who  believed  that,  to  think  of  Zion 
as  destined  for  permanent  destruction,  or  to 
regard  Israel  as  marked  out  for  permanent 
rejection.  Chastisement  there  might  be, 
but  not  annihilation.  The  destruction 
could  only  be  a  stage  in  the  process  of 
evolution,  the  pulling  down  could  only  be  a 
condition  of  building  up,  the  ploughing  could 
only  be  the  prelude  to  harvest. 

57 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

The  same  assurance  underlies  Isaiah's 
doctrine  of  the  remnant.  Even  though 
God's  chastisement  of  His  rebeUious  people 
should  result  in  their  decimation,  and 
though  the  remaining  tenth  should  again 
be  eaten  up,  there  would  still  be  left  the 
holy  seed  to  be  the  stock  from  which  the 
nation  should  revive.-^  Similarly  St.  Paul 
was  able  to  distinguish  the  institutional 
Israel  from  the  true  Israel  of  God  ;  and  he 
never  lost  his  confidence  that  God's  promises 
would  be  fulfilled  for  the  remnant  accord- 
ing to  the  election  of  grace. ^ 

Whether  it  be  Abraham  or  Micah  or  Isaiah 
or  St.  Paul,  such  was  the  confidence  in  the 
faithfulness  of  God  that  they  one  and  all 
in  hope  believed  against  hope  ;  they  kept 
their  eyes  fixed  steadfastly  upon  God's 
revealed  purpose ;  they  measured  possi- 
bility by  the  standard  of  Divine  power. 

It  is  not  surprising  therefore  to  find  the 
dark  pictures  of  sin  and  judgment  lit  up  by 
bright  visions  of  the  future.     We  are  not 

1  See  Isa.  vi.  13,  x.  20,  xi.   1 1  ff.  ;   cf.  Mic.  iv.  7. 

2  Rom.  xi.  5. 

58 


The   Faithfulness  of  God 

prepared  to  rule  out  chapter  ii.  12  f.  of 
this  prophecy  as  involving  an  impossible 
sequence  of  thought  with  ii.  i-ii.  On  the 
contrary,  the  picture  of  judgment  appeals 
to  us  with  all  the  more  force  as  a  message 
from  God  because  it  ends  with  the  vision  of 
hope.  Precisely  the  same  phenomenon  is 
presented  in  this  fourth  chapter,  and  in 
Isaiah's  use  of  the  same  language.^  We 
meet  it  again  in  the  seventh  chapter.  In 
each  case  there  is  the  juxtaposition  of  dis- 
appointment and  hope,  judgment  and 
mercy,  denunciation  and  promise  :  and 
that  juxtaposition  cannot  be  rightly  inter- 
preted unless  allowance  is  made  for  the 
prophet's  religion.  It  represents  the 
triumph  of  faith  over  circumstances,  and 
that  triumph  is  the  privilege  and  the  right 
of  every  man  who  honestly  trusts  in  the 
Lord. 

2.  The  Vision  of  the  Future. 

We  turn  now  to  the  actual  picture  which 
the  Prophet  gives  of  the  ultimate  destiny 
1  Isa.  ii.  I  fF. 

59 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

of  Zion.  The  city  is  to  become  the  centre 
of  worship  for  many  peoples,  and  the  Word 
of  the  Lord  is  to  be  the  light  of  their  life. 
The  glory  of  the  city  is  to  be  such  that  it 
will  attract  to  itself  the  nations  of  the 
world,  eager  to  learn  its  secret.  The  result 
will  be  that  the  God  of  Israel  will  be 
acknowledged  as  the  light  of  the  world, 
war  will  cease,  peace  and  safety  will  be 
the  happy  lot  of  all  mankind.  By  a  bold 
imagery  the  nations  of  the  world  are  repre- 
sented as  a  river  flowing  upwards  to  the 
mountain  of  the  Lord's  house.  Is  this  the 
prophet's  vivid  and  picturesque  equivalent 
of  the  Gospel  word,  the  things  which  are 
impossible  with  men  are  'possible  with  God? 
It  may  be  so. 

When  the  vision  is  compared  with  the 
later  conception  of  Zephaniah,  men  shall 
worship  him,  every  one  from  his  own  flace^^ 
and  with  that  of  Malachi,  From  the  rising 
of  the  sun  even  unto  the  going  down  of  the 
same  my  name  is  great  among  the  Gentiles ; 
and   in  every   place    incense   is  offered  unto 

1  Zeph.  ii.  II. 

60 


The  Faithfulness  of  God 

my  name,  and  a  fure  offering :  for  my  name  is 
great  among  the  Gentiles,  saith  the  Lord  of 
hosts  ;  ^  when  viewed  in  this  relation,  Micah's 
vision  is  seen  to  be  a  limited  one.  And 
yet  it  was  a  distinct  advance  towards  the 
Gospel  revelation  of  the  Catholic  Church, 
and  the  worship  which  was  to  be  in  spirit 
and  in  truth.  Micah  perceived  the  funda- 
mental truth  that  the  Lord  was  not  the 
God  of  Israel  only,  but  the  God  of  all  the 
earth ;  and  that  therefore  all  men  must 
come  to  know  Him,  and  Jerusalem,  in 
spite  of  her  faithlessness  and  failure,  was 
destined  eventually  to  fulfil  her  mission  to 
the  world. 

Let  us  pause  here  to  inquire  how  far  our 
conception  of  the  faithfulness  of  God  to 
His  word  carries  us  in  our  outlook  upon 
the  world  at  large.  When  the  Lord  Jesus 
gave  His  last  command  to  His  church,  He 
gave  it  not  as  something  entirely  new  and 
unforeseen,  but  as  the  fulfilment  of  Old 
Testament  prediction.  It  is  written  was 
the  ground  upon  which  He  based  it.*     As 

1  Mai.  i.  1 1.  2  St.  Luke  xxiv.  46  f. 

61 


The  Prophecy   of  Micah 

truly  as  His  Death  and  Resurrection  had 
been  foretold,  and  as  surely  as  they  were 
reaHsed  in  fact,  so  truly  was  the  evangelisa- 
tion of  the  world  foretold,  and  so  surely  will 
it  become  a  reality.  Confidence  in  the  faith- 
fulness of  God  should  make  us  fervent  in  the 
missionary  enterprise  of  the  Church.  But 
the  behever's  outlook  upon  the  world  is 
determined  by  reason  as  well  as  by  faith. 
For  just  as  revelation  is  an  essential  element 
in  our  conception  of  God,  so  evangehsation 
is  an  essential  consequence  of  behef  in  revela- 
tion. As  long  as  there  is  true  faith  in  God 
and  joy  in  believing,  for  so  long  will  believers 
communicate  the  good  news  to  others. 
The  command  of  the  Lord  Jesus  is  an  appeal 
to  the  reason  as  well  as  a  challenge  to  faith. 
But  reason  must  go  hand  in  hand  with  faith 
and  love.  Reason  by  itself  might  be  de- 
terred by  the  difficulties,  silenced  by  the 
disappointments,  dismayed  by  the  cost.  The 
incentive  rests  ultimately  with  faith  and 
love  :  faith  in  God  whose  word  shall  not 
return  to  Him  void,  love  for  the  Master 
who  gave  the  command. 

62 


The   Faithfulness  of  God 

3.  Fulfilment  through  Suffering. 

Micah's  conception  of  the  faithfulness  of 
God  enabled  him  to  interpret  suffering 
as  part  of  the  process  hy  which  the  sure 
mercies  of  God  were  being  fulfilled.  The 
very  disaster  which  was  to  come  upon  the 
nation  was  to  be  the  birthpangs  of  the  new 
era  of  life  and  prosperity.  True,  it  would 
inevitably  call  forth  taunt  and  blasphemy 
from  the  enemies  of  the  Lord  :  that  was 
part  of  the  sacrifice  which  sin  involved.  But 
the  revilings  would  be  uttered  in  ignorance  : 
the  time  would  come  when  the  Lord 
would  vindicate  His  truth  and  manifest  His 
glory.  A  new  theocracy  would  arise  out 
of  the  afflictions  of  the  nation.  In  that 
day^  saith  the  Lord,  will  I  assemble  her  that 
halteth,  and  I  will  gather  her  that  is  driven 
away,  and  her  that  I  have  afflicted  ;  and  I 
will  make  her  that  halted  a  remnant,  and 
her  that  was  cast  off  a  strong  nation  :  and  the 
Lord  shall  reign  over  them  in  mount  Zion 
from  henceforth  even  for  ever} 
1  Mic.  iv.  6  f. 

63 


The  Prophecy   of  Micah 

If  Babylon  was  to  be  the  instrument  of 
the  chastisement,  it  was  Babylon  which 
was  also  to  be  the  place  of  deliverance. 
Thou  shah  come  even  unto  Babylon  :  there 
shah  thou  he  rescued  ;  there  shall  the  Lord 
redeem  thee  from  the  hand  of  thine  enemies} 
And  the  deliverance  would  affect  not 
merely  the  daughter  of  Zion,  but  her 
oppressors  as  well.  The  city  which  has 
been  ploughed  as  a  field  on  account  of  her 
sin  is  now  summoned  to  arise  and  thresh 
(magnificent  paradox !)  :  the  harvest  is 
gathered  not  by  those  who  did  the  ploughing, 
but  by  the  city  which  was  ploughed.  They 
know  not  the  thoughts  of  the  Lord,  neither 
understand  they  His  counsel :  for  he  hath 
gathered  them  as  the  sheaves  to  the  threshing- 
floor.  Arise  and  thresh,  O  daughter  of  Zion : 
for  I  will  make  thine  horn  iron,  and  I  will 
make  thy  hoofs  brass :  and  thou  shalt  heat 
in  fieces  many  peoples  :  and  thou  shalt  devote 
their  gain  unto  the  Lord,  and  their  sub- 
stance unto  the  Lord  of  the  whole  earth} 

So  may  we  learn  the  secret  of  Micah.     The 
^  Mic.  iv.  lo.  2  Vers.  laf. 

64 


The  Faithfulness  of  God 

ways  of  the  Lord  are  past  finding  out, 
but  His  purposes  will  find  a  sure  fulfil- 
ment. The  supreme  facts  in  life  are  the 
faithfulness  and  the  sovereignty  of  the 
Lord. 


65 


VI 

THE  DIVINE  METHOD 

MiCAH    V. 


VI 

THE  DIVINE  METHOD 

I.  The  Choice 

In  the  fifth  chapter  of  the  prophecy  there 
is  a  vivid  portrayal  of  the  method  of  the 
Divine  intervention.  The  chosen  time  is 
manifestly  an  hour  of  crisis  for  the  nation. 
Judah's  foes  are  gathered  round  her,  the 
city  is  besieged,  her  king  is  smitten.  She 
has  been  given  up  to  the  sufferings  of  her 
travail.  The  chosen  method  is  one  which 
is  entirely  unexpected.  In  this  respect, 
no  less  than  in  that  of  the  time,  human 
calculations  are  set  at  naught.  God  can 
achieve  His  purpose  without  Jerusalem ; 
He  can  dispense  with  Jerusalem's  King. 
An  insignificant  village  is  the  quarter  from 
which  He  raises  up  the  instrument  of  His 
choice.     But    thou,     Bethlehem    Ephrathahy 

69 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

which  art  little  to  he  among  the  thousands  of 
Judah^  out  of  thee  shall  one  come  forth  unto 
me  that  is  to  he  ruler  in  Israel ;  whose  goings 
forth  are  of  old,  from  everlasting. 

The  words  unto  me  express  the  two  ideas, 
chosen  and  called  by  me,  and  ready  for  my  will 
and  purpose.  Here  is  the  secret  of  success 
in  the  service  of  God.  His  method  requires 
one  who  will  do  His  will  and  act  as  His 
servant.  It  matters  not  who  he  is  in  respect 
of  man's  judgment,  or  whence  he  comes : 
the  only  requisites  are  the  call  of  God  and 
the  obedience  of  man.  Of  such  an  one  it  is 
said,  his  goings  forth  are  from  of  old,  from 
everlasting.  The  words  remind  us  of  the 
description  of  the  wisdom  of  God,  given  in 
Prov.  viii.  22  if. ;  and  they  find  their  fullest 
meaning  in  the  Eternal  Person  of  the 
Word,  who  was  made  flesh.  Indeed,  this 
whole  chapter  of  the  prophecy  demands 
Jesus  Christ  for  the  complete  fulfilment  of 
its  wonderful  message.  But  there  was  a 
primary  and  incomplete  fulfilment  in  the 
person  of  King  Hezekiah,  who  was  of  the 
seed    of    David.        The    reference    to   the 

70 


The  Divine  Method 

Assyrian  invasion  requires  this.^  There  is 
also  a  sense  in  which  the  comfort  of  the 
words  is  available  as  a  ground  of  confidence 
for  every  chosen  instrument  of  God.  The 
goings  forth  from  of  old,  from  everlasting 
refer,  in  this  subordinate  sense,  to  the 
eternal  plan  and  counsel  of  God.  Thus, 
when  the  call  came  to  Jeremiah,  he  was 
encouraged  by  the  message  that  before  he 
was  born  he  had  been  known,  sanctified, 
and  appointed  by  the  Lord  a  prophet  unto 
the  nations.^  A  similar  idea  underlies  the 
message  of  the  Servant  of  the  Lord  in  the 
Book  of  Isaiah  :  the  Lord  hath  called  me 
from  the  womb  ;  from  the  bowels  of  my  mother 
hath  he  made  mention  of  my  name,  .  .  .  The 
Lord  formed  me  from  the  womb  to  be  his 
servant.^  We  meet  with  it  again  in  St. 
Paul's  conception  of  God  having  separated 
him  from  the  time  of  his  birth.* 

But  it  is  not  only  in  connection  with  the 
call  to  ministry  that  this  confidence  may  be 
enjoyed.     The   eternal   purpose   of   God  is 

1  Ch.  iv.  5  f.  «  Jer.  i.  5. 

8  Isa.  xlix.  I,  5.  *  Gal.  i.  15. 

71 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

set  before  us  also  in  respect  of  the  call  to 
salvation,  as  a  ground  of  assurance  for  all 
believers.  Thus  St.  Paul  speaks  of  God's 
grace  as  having  been  given  to  us  from 
eternity,  the  Incarnation  being  the  mani- 
festation in  time  of  the  eternal  gift.^  St. 
Paul  thanks  God  that  He  has  chosen 
believers  from  the  beginning  unto  salva- 
tion ;  ^  and  he  carries  his  thoughts  about 
the  work  of  grace  back  to  the  foreknowledge 
of  God.^  This  is  the  practical  comfort 
of  the  revealed  truth  of  Predestination. 
Grace  manifesting  itself  in  the  call  whether 
to  ministry  or  to  salvation,  and  experienced 
through  the  response  of  the  surrendered 
will,  is  the  evidence  of  eternal  purpose. 
Of  all  such  it  can  be  said  that  their  goings 
forth  are  from  of  old,  from  everlasting.  This 
is  the  confidence  which  is  enjoyed  by  the 
children  of  God  :  it  is  based  not  upon  human 
calculations,  but  upon  the  eternal  purpose 
of  God  ;  and  it  depends  upon  the  recogni- 
tion of  the  fact  that  the  Divine  method  is 

1  2  Tim.  i.  9.  ^2  Thess.  ii.  13. 

3  Rom.  vlii.  29. 

72 


The  Divine  Method 

not  bound  by  human  standards  of  judg- 
ment. 

What  a  wealth  of  illustration  of  this  truth 
the  recorded  history  of  God's  ancient  people 
provides !  The  birth  of  Isaac, ^  the  experi- 
ences of  Joseph,^  the  choice  of  David,^  the 
call  of  Amos/  the  call  of  Jeremiah,^  readily 
come  to  mind  in  this  connection.  And 
was  not  the  Lord  Jesus  Himself,  in  respect 
of  His  earthly  circumstances,  the  most 
wonderful  example  of  it  ?  Indeed,  across 
the  whole  history  of  Divine  dealings  with 
man  there  can  be  written,  My  thoughts  are 
not  your  thoughts^  neither  are  your  ways  my 
ways,  saith  the  Lord,^ 

The  articulate  expression  of  the  method 
is  given  by  St.  Paul.  Te  behold  your  callings 
brethren,  how  that  not  many  wise  after  the 
flesh,  not  many  mighty,  not  many  noble,  are 
called :  but  God  chose  the  foolish  things  of 
the  world,  that  he  might  put  to  shame  them 
that  are  wise  ;  and  God  chose  the  weak  things 

^  Gen.  xvii.  17,  xviii.  12.  2  pg^  ^.y^  jy 

3  Ps.  Ixxviii.  67  fF.  *  Amos  vii.  i4f. 

6  Jer.  i.  4  fF.  •  Isa.  Iv.  8. 

73 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

of  the  world,  that  he  might  put  to  shame  the 
things  that  are  strong  ;  and  the  base  things 
of  the  world,  and  the  things  that  are  despised, 
did  God  choose,  yea,  and  the  things  that  are 
not,  that  he  might  bring  to  nought  the  things 
that  are} 


2.  The  Purpose. 

We  are  indebted  to  St.  Paul  not  merely 
for  this  statement  of  the  Divine  method, 
but  also  for  what  is  of  no  less  importance, 
the  explanation  of  the  purpose.  This  he 
describes  negatively  and  positively :  nega- 
tively it  is  that  no  flesh  should  glory  in  his 
presence  ;  positively,  he  that  glorieth,  let  him 
glory  in  the  Lord? 

Sympathy  with  the  purpose  is  the  surest 
road  to  loyalty  to  the  method.  It  was 
because  St.  Paul  perceived  and  rejoiced  in 
the  purpose,  that  he  devoted  himself  to  the 
foolishness  of  preaching  as  the  means  of 
man's    salvation,    and    was    determined    to 

1  I  Cor.  i.  26  fF;   cf.  St.  Matt.  xi.  25. 

2  I  Cor.  i.  29,  31. 

74 


The  Divine  Method 

know  nothing  among  men  but  Jesus  Christy 
and  him  crucified}  It  was  on  this  account 
that  he  refused  to  be  deterred  by  his  own 
weakness,  fear,  and  much  trembhng,  and 
that  he  abjured  the  persuasive  words  of 
wisdom.  It  was  because  he  knew  that 
glorying  was  excluded  that  he  perceived 
the  reasonableness  of  the  revealed  truth  that 
man  is  justified  by  faith  and  not  by  works. ^ 
The  first  secret  of  co-operation  with  God, 
whether  in  the  matter  of  salvation  or  of 
service,  is  the  acceptance  of  this  principle. 
When  a  brilliant  young  controversialist 
feels  himself  at  liberty  to  pour  contempt 
upon  those  who  rejoice  in  the  doctrine  of 
Justification  by  faith,  and  to  compare  them 
with  the  man  in  the  Parable  who  hid  his 
pound  in  the  napkin,  he  renders  himself  an 
object  of  pity.  He  has  allowed  his  wisdom 
to  blind  him  to  the  meaning  of  faith  ;  and, 
what  is  still  worse,  he  has  revealed  himself 
as  being  out  of  sympathy  with  the  revealed 
method  of  grace.     Faith  assuredly  involves 

^  I  Cor.  ii.  2. 

*  Rom.  iii.  27,  iv.  i  fF.  ;   Eph.  ii.  8  ff. 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

co-operation,  otherwise  it  is  not  faith ; 
but  it  is  equally  certain  that  the  faith 
which  God  requires  from  man  will  find  the 
ground  of  its  glorying  only  in  the  Lord. 


3.  The  Result. 

The  Divine  intervention  issues  in  deliver- 
ance for  Judah.  The  captives  are  restored, 
true  religion  is  established,  and  peace  is 
enjoyed  (vers.  3-6).  But  this  is  not  all. 
Salvation  and  service  are  complementary 
terms  :  men  are  saved  to  serve.  Thou  wast 
slain,  and  didst  purchase  unto  God  with  thy 
blood  men  of  every  tribe,  and  tongue,  and  people, 
and  nation,  is  only  one  part  of  the  song  of 
the  redeemed ;  it  continues,  and  madest 
them  to  be  a  kingdom  and  priests}  Even  so 
it  is  during  the  earthly  stage  of  the  process 
of  redemption  :  we  are  his  workmanship 
created  in  Christ  'Jesus  for  good  works,  which 
God  afore  prepared  that  we  should  walk  in 
them}  There  was  no  exemption  from  this 
law  for  Judah  ;  her  blessing  was  not  intended 
1  Rev.  V.  9f.  2  £p}^^  ij^  jQ^ 

76 


The  Divine  Method 

for  her  selfish  enjoyment.  She  had  a 
mission  to  fulfil  in  relation  to  the  nations 
of  the  world.  She  was  to  be  in  the  midst 
of  many  feofles  as  dew  from  the  Lord^  as 
showers  upon  the  grass  (ver.  7).  The  imagery 
was  of  far  greater  significance  for  the  people 
of  Palestine  than  it  can  be  for  us,^  but  even 
we  have  no  difficulty  in  understanding  it  to 
mean  life.  The  restored  people  were  to  be 
the  means  of  life  to  others,  partly  through 
the  quiet  and  subtle  effect  of  influence, 
represented  by  dew,  and  partly  through  the 
more  perceptible  and  consciously  exerted 
ministry  of  the  word,  represented  by  the 
showers.  They  were  not  to  be  deterred  in 
this  ministry  by  any  unwillingness  on  the 
part  of  the  nations.  The  blessing  was  to  be 
offered  to  them  whether  they  would  receive 
it  or  refuse  it.  Just  as  God  causes  His  rain 
to  fall  upon  the  earth  without  any  respect 
of  men,  so  that  it  tarrieth  not  for  man,  nor 
waiteth  for  the  sons  of  men,  even  so  was 
this  God-given   enterprise    of   Judah  to  be 

1  See  Neil,  Everyday  Life  in  the  Holy  Land,  pp.  115, 
169. 

77 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

carried  out.  But  there  was  another  aspect 
of  the  mission  :  it  was  to  be  destructive  as 
well  as  life-giving.  Judah  was  to  be  amongst 
the  nations  as  a  lion  among  the  beasts  of  the 
forest,  as  a  young  lion  among  the  flocks  of 
sheep  ;  who,  if  he  go  through,  treadeth  down 
and  teareth  in  'pieces,  and  there  is  none  to 
deliver  (ver.  8).  To  those  who  submitted 
themselves  the  mission  would  be  the  means 
of  life,  but  to  those  who  opposed  them- 
selves it  would  be  a  mission  of  death. 

The  same  conception  finds  expression  in 
St.  Paul's  words,  We  are  a  sweet  savour  of 
Christ  unto  God,  in  them  that  are  being 
saved,  and  in  them  that  are  perishing  ;  to  the 
one  a  savour  from  death  unto  death  ;  to  the 
other  a  savour  from  life  unto  life}  It  is 
present  likewise  in  the  words  with  which 
the  Lord  Jesus  commissioned  the  Church 
to  be  in  the  world  for  the  remitting  and 
the  retaining  of  men's  sins.^ 

What  this  means  in  actual  experience  we 
can  see  in  the  work  of  Christian  missions. 
The  preaching  of  Christ  is  the  offering  to 
1  2  Cor.  ii.  I5f.  2  St.  John  xx.  2i  fF. 

78 


The  Divine  Method 

men  of  the  choice  between  life  and  death. 
The  fact  that  He  is  the  Hght  of  the  world 
means  that  men  are  being  automatically 
judged  as  they  either  believe  in  Him  or 
reject  Him.^  And  further,  Christian 
teaching  and  civilisation  exercise  inevitably 
a  destructive  as  well  as  a  constructive  in- 
fluence. The  old  civilisations  give  way 
before  them,  and  idols  are  torn  down 
from  their  seats,  while  at  the  same  time 
all  who  turn  to  the  Lord  are  quickened 
and  renewed. 

But  there  is  one  essential  condition  for 
the  fulfilment  of  the  mission  :  Judah  her- 
self must  first  be  purified.  This  thought 
which  was  present  in  the  earlier  description 
of  the  nation's  sufferings  receives  articulate 
expression  at  the  end  of  the  chapter.  And 
it  shall  come  to  fass  in  that  day^  saith  the 
Lord,  that  I  will  cut  of  thy  horses  out  of  the 
midst  of  thee,  and  will  destroy  thy  chariots  : 
and  I  will  cut  off  the  cities  of  thy  land,  and 
will  throw  down  all  thy  strongholds :  and  I 
will  cut  off  witchcrafts  out  of  thine  hand ; 
1  Cf.  St.  John  iii.  i8fF. 

79 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

and  thou  shalt  have  no  more  soothsayers : 
and,  I  will  cut  of  thy  graven  images  and  thy 
fillars  out  of  the  midst  of  thee :  and  thou 
shalt  no  more  worship  the  work  of  thine 
hands.  And  I  will  pluck  up  thine  Asherim 
out  of  the  midst  of  thee  :  and  I  will  destroy 
thy  cities,^ 

iCh.  V.  loff. 


80 


VII 

THE  DIVINE  PLEADING 

MiCAH   vi. 


VII 

THE  DIVINE  PLEADING 

Once   again   the   earth  is   summoned   as   a 
witness  of  God's  dealings  with  His  people.^ 
The  mountains  and  hills  are  bidden  to  Hsten 
while  He  pleads  and  vindicates  the  right- 
eousness of  His  acts.     What  a  soul-stirring 
conception  !     ^he  Lord  hath  a  controversy 
with    his    feople,    and   he   will    flead   with 
Israel.     Nothing  shall  be  left  undone  which 
may  avert  the  impending  judgment.     The 
people  will  have  only  themselves  to  blame 
if  the  language  has  to  be  changed  to  that 
of  Hosea,  The  Lord  hath  a  controversy  with 
Judah,  and  will  punish  Jacob  according  to 
his   ways}      But    before    that    pronounce- 
ment is  made,  He  will  plead,  yes,  plead  with 
His  wayward  and  rebeUious  children.    What 
infinite   tenderness,   compassion,  and   love  ! 

1  Cf.  ch.  i.  2.  ^  Hos.  xii.  2. 

83 


The   Prophecy   of  Micah 

The  Lord  of  all,  the  Creator,  the  Preserver, 
the  Redeemer,  who  has  revealed  Himself 
and  declared  His  w^ill,  now^  pleads  with  the 
men  who  have  scorned  His  love  and  ignored 
His  word.  The  pleading  cannot  continue 
for  ever,  the  controversy  must  have  a 
definite  issue,  the  Spirit  will  not  always 
strive  with  men.  When  Hosea  was  pro- 
phesying to  the  Northern  Kingdom,  the 
day  of  grace  was  over,  the  controversy 
sealed  the  doom  of  Ephraim.  But  here 
Micah  is  still  offering  to  the  Southern 
Kingdom  the  opportunity  of  repentance. 
The  Lord  through  His  prophet  is  content 
still  to  plead. 

I.  The  Challenge. 

The  message  begins  with  a  challenge. 
O  my  feofle,  what  have  I  done  unto  thee  ? 
and  wherein  have  I  wearied  thee  F  testify 
against  me.  Would  that  men  would  allow 
themselves  to  listen  to  this  challenge,  and 
to  come  into  judgment  with  God  before 
the  bar  of  reason  and  experience.     If  only 

84 


The  Divine  Pleading 

they  were  willing  to  testify  to  God's  deal- 
ings with  them,  there  would  be  some  pro- 
fitable heart-searching.  True,  Israel  had 
not  been  free  from  trial  and  suffering  ;  but 
whose  fault  was  that  ?  On  the  other  hand, 
the  prophet  was  able  to  remind  them  that 
God  had  delivered  them  from  bondage, 
had  led  them  through  the  wilderness,  had 
preserved  them  from  the  devices  of  their 
enemies.  It  was  one  long  record  of  patient 
and  unceasing  effort  for  their  welfare. 

The  challenge  comes  to  men  to-day 
with  a  force  which  was  impossible  in 
Micah's  day.  He  could  recall  the  fact  that 
God  had  sent  before  Israel  Moses,  Aaron, 
and  Miriam  :  the  preacher  of  the  gospel 
can  proclaim  the  fact  that  God  so  loved 
the  world  that  He  gave  His  only-begotten 
Son. 

The  challenge  of  the  Cross  is  God's 
answer  to  men's  challenge  of  His  love.  He 
that  spared  not  his  own  Son,  hut  delivered 
him  up  for  us  all,  how  shall  he  not  with  him 
also  freely  give  us  all  things  ?  ^  When  we 
*  Rom.  viii.  32. 

8s 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

are  confronted  with  the  trials  and  suffer- 
ings of  Hfe,  let  us  not  look  at  man, 
and  ask,  Why  did  God  endow  him  with 
the  power  of  free  will  ?  though  the  answer 
would  be  reasonable  that  it  was  Love  which 
so  created  him.  Let  us  not  look  at  the 
consequences  of  man's  sin,  and  ask.  Why  did 
God  not  cancel  the  power  of  free  will  and 
reduce  man  to  a  machine  ?  though  the 
answer  would  be  reasonable  that  it  is  Love 
which  has  preserved  him  as  he  is.  Let  us 
not  look  at  the  sufferings,  and  ask.  Why 
does  God  permit  them  ?  though  the  answer 
would  be  reasonable  that  Love  is  working 
out  purposes  which  we  do  not  yet  perceive. 
But  let  us  look  at  Calvary's  Cross,  and  then 
see  whether  anything  remains  in  which  we 
are  prepared  to  testify  against  God. 

That  is  God's  challenge  to  men  now. 
God  commendeth  his  own  love  toward  us,  in 
that,  while  we  were  yet  sinners,  Christ  died 
for  us.^  Does  any  man  require  more  proof 
than  this  ?  If  so,  let  him  be  shown  the 
wonder  of  Divine  Love,  which  is  manifested 
1  Rom.  V.  8. 

86 


The  Divine  Pleading 

in  the  fact  that  God  still  pleads  with  him. 
God  was  in  Christ  reconciling  the  world  unto 
himself,  not  reckoning  unto  them  their  tres- 
passes. .  .  .  Him  who  knew  no  sin  he  made 
to  he  sin  on  our  behalf  ;  that  we  might  become 
the  righteousness  of  God  in  him,^  that  is  the 
one  marvel  of  Divine  Love.  We  are  am- 
bassadors on  behalf  of  Christ,  as  though 
God  were  intr eating  by  us :  we  beseech  you 
on  behalf  of  Christ,  be  ye  reconciled  to  God, 
that  is  the  other.  Having  reconciled  man 
to  Himself  at  the  cost  of  so  great  a  sacrifice, 
God  continues  to  plead  with  man  to  be 
reconciled  to  Him.  Calvary's  Cross  is  the 
Divine  challenge  to  the  doubt  and  in- 
gratitude of  men. 

2.  The  Repudiation. 

Micah  now  proceeds  in  the  form  of  ques- 
tion and  answer  to  set  forth  the  Lord's 
requirements  (vers.  6-8).  There  was  a 
false  as  well  as  a  true  conception,  and  the 
prophet  refers  to  both. 

^  2  Cor.  V.  19  fF. 

87 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

The  divergence  is  as  modern  as  it  is 
ancient.  It  arises  out  of  the  fact  that 
religion  has  always  been  institutional  as 
well  as  experimental,  and  has  demanded 
expression  in  rite  and  ceremony  as  well  as  in 
character  and  conduct.  There  has  conse- 
quently been  a  perpetual  conflict  between 
the  two  expressions  for  the  position  of 
supremacy.  Man  and  the  Sabbath  are  both 
Divine  creations,  but  the  ways  in  which  they 
were  related  by  the  Lord  Jesus,  on  the  one 
hand,  and  by  the  Pharisees,  on  the  other, 
were  entirely  different,  ^he  Sabbath  was 
made  for  man,  and  not  man  for  the  Sabbath 
was  the  Lord's  answer  to  the  institution- 
alists  of  His  day,  who  made  their  religion 
consist  primarily  in  ceremonial  observ- 
ances.^ 

The  abuse  of  institutionalism  is  the  most 
subtle  cause  of  the  decay  of  true  religion. 
It  offers  a  substitute  for  the  harder  service 
of  mind  and  will.  The  ethic  of  the  thing 
done  is  allowed  to  take  the  place  of  the 
ethic  of  the  clean  heart,  means  are  con- 
1  St.  Mark  ii.  27. 

88 


The  Divine  Pleading 

founded  with  ends,  and  religion  is  lost  in 
religiousness. 

It  was  this  that  caused  the  ceaseless  con- 
flict between  prophet  and  priest  under  the 
Old  Dispensation,  and  led  to  the  constant 
stream  of  Prophetic  protest  against  the 
misuse  of  ordinance  and  ceremony.-^  Institu- 
tions and  ceremonies,  whose  Divine  ap- 
pointment was  part  of  the  accepted  creed 
of  the  time,  were  nevertheless  condemned 
by  the  prophets  as  being  not  merely  use- 
less but  positively  abhorrent  in  the  sight 
of  God.  Sacrifices,  offerings,  fasts,  incense, 
festivals,  were  all  alike  disowned  by  the 
messenger  of  the  Lord.  It  was  not  that 
the  people  were  wrong  in  regarding  them 
as  Divinely  appointed  elements  of  their 
religion,  but  that  they  had  allowed  religion 
to  consist  in  these  institutions  as  its  heart 
and  centre.  They  had  come  to  regard  the 
bond  between  the  Lord  and  themselves  as 
a  matter  of  rite  and  ceremony,  whereas  all 

1  See  I  Sam.  xv.  22;  Isa.  i.  lofF.  ;  Jer.  vi.  20,  vii. 
2 1  fF.  ;  Hos.  vi.  6  ;  Amos  v.  2 1  fF. ;  Mic.  vi.  7  fF. ;  cf. 
Ps.  1.  8ff.,  li.  i6f. 

89 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

the  time  it  had  to  be  a  matter  of  heart  and 
life.  This  was  the  reason  why  Zion  was  to 
be  ploughed  as  a  field,  and  the  Temple  razed 
to  the  ground.  By  the  hard  discipline  of 
the  Captivity  the  people  were  to  be  taught 
the  true  proportion  of  things.  And  yet, 
such  is  the  proneness  of  the  human  heart  to 
substitute  the  outward  for  the  inward,  the 
lesson  was  only  too  soon  forgotten,  and  in 
our  Lord's  time  the  institutional  side  of 
religion  had  become  as  strongly  centralised 
again  as  ever  it  had  been  in  the  days  of  the 
monarchy.  The  holy  city  which  was  steeped 
in  religiousness,  and  whose  temple  courts 
were  crowded  with  worshippers,  caused 
tears  to  flow  from  the  eyes  of  the  Saviour, 
because  it  knew  not  the  things  which  be- 
longed to  its  peace. 

The  Christian  Church  was  founded  on 
principles  which  give  no  excuse  for  the  repeti- 
tion of  the  mistake.  Relationship  to  the  Lord 
Jesus  is  the  secret  of  life,  and  that  relationship 
is  determined  by  the  doing  of  the  will  of  His 
Heavenly  Father.^  Faith  in  Jesus  Christ  is 
1  St.  Matt.  xii.  50. 
90 


9 

The  Divine  Pleading 

the  condition  of  salvation,^  love  of  Him  is 
the  essence  of  discipleship,^  abiding  in  Him 
is  the  secret  of  fruit-bearing.^  Institu- 
tionalism  is  not  ignored,  but  it  is  extremely 
simple,  and  manifestly  provided  for  the 
assistance  of  the  spiritual  relationship.  The 
gospel  is  not  the  good  news  that  the  Sacra- 
ments save  us,  if  only  we  have  faith  to  make 
them  operative  ;  but  it  is  the  good  news  that 
whosoever  believeth  in  Jesus  hath  everlast- 
ing life.*  It  is  primarily  their  function 
of  quickening  and  confirming  our  faith  in 
Jesus  that  constitutes  the  Sacraments  means 
of  grace.  For  the  highest  possible  work  of 
grace  in  the  human  heart  is  the  production 
and  perpetuation  of  a  living  faith  in  the 
Redeemer,  and  the  consequent  participa- 
tion in  His  character  ;  and  it  is  because 
the  Sacraments  are  the  Divinely  appointed 
signs  of  His  grace  and  seals  of  the  Covenant 
promises,  that  they  are  so  intimately  related 
to  this  work  of  grace.  As  the  ordered  means 
of  giving  visibility  to  the  gifts  which  they 

1  St.  John  ili.  1 6.  2  3t^  John  xiv.  15,  21,  23. 

3  St.  John  XV.  4  ff.        4  cf.  Gal.  v.  6  ;   Eph.  i.  12  fF. 

91 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

signify,  they  bring  the  powers  of  sight, 
sense,  and  touch  to  the  help  of  faith.  For 
illustration  of  this  order  of  things  in  the 
teaching  of  the  Lord,  it  should  be  sufficient 
to  quote  the  words,  He  that  helieveth  and  is 
baptized  shall  be  saved  :  he  that  disbelieve th 
shall  be  condemned}  The  centrality  of  faith  is 
here  indisputably  asserted,  and,  by  impHca- 
tion,  the  centrality  among  the  means  of 
grace  of  that  which  first  leads  to,  and  con- 
stantly nourishes  faith  ;  that  is  to  say,  the 
message  of  the  gospel.  And  it  is  because 
of  their  relation  to  the  Word  that  the  Sacra- 
ments, as  verba  visibilia,  are  effectual  means 
of  grace  where  the  Word  is  known  and 
accepted.  The  institutionalism  of  the 
gospel  is  subordinate  to  the  gospel  itself 
and  to  the  faith  which  responds  to  it  and 
is  produced  by  it.^ 

When  we  turn  to  St.  Paul's  teaching, 
we  find  the  same  order.  In  Christ  Jesus 
neither  circumcision  availeth  anything,  nor 
uncircumcision,    but    faith    working    through 

1  St.  Mark  xvi.  i6, 
2Cf.  Gal.  iii.  26  f. 

92 


The  Divine  Pleading 

love  ;  ^   and  this  is  the  condition  of  human 
experience  which  corresponds  to  the  new 
creation.^     Now  what  an  opportunity  the 
Apostle    flung    away   here,   if   he   regarded 
institutionahsm    as    the    central    thing    in 
Christianity !     Why    did    he    not    mention 
Baptism   as  being  the  Christian  ordinance 
which  corresponds   to  circumcision  ?     The 
same   centralising   of   faith   is   exhibited   in 
his  words,  With  the  heart  man  helieveth  unto 
righteousness ;  and  with  the  mouth  confession 
is  made  unto  salvation.^     Again,  when  the 
Apostle    recounts    his    Jewish    claims    and 
privileges,    and    renounces    them    as    worse 
than  useless   to   him    as    a    Christian,  it  is 
not  the  institutions  of  Christianity  that  he 
substitutes  for  the  institutions  of  Judaism, 
but  the  knowledge  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  gain- 
ing of  Christ,  the  being  found  in  Him,  the 
possession    of    the    righteousness    which    is 
through  faith  in  Him,  the  knowledge  of  the 
power  of  Christ's  resurrection  and  of  the 
fellowship  of  His  sufferings.* 

1  Gal.  V.  6.  2Cf.  Gal.  vi.  15. 

8  Rom.  X.  10.  *  See  Phil.  iii.  4fF. 

93 


The  Prophecy   of  Micah 

With  teaching  such  as  this  before  men's 
eyes,  it  might  have  been  expected  that  the 
Church  would  never  fall  into  the  error  of 
subordinating  the  experimental  in  religion 
to  the  institutional.  And  yet  it  was  just 
this  that  reduced  Christianity  in  mediaeval 
times  to  matters  of  form  and  ceremony. 
The  Reformation  of  the  sixteenth  century 
effected  the  deliverance  of  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  Western  Church  from  this 
error  :  the  old  conflict  between  prophet  and 
priest  was  revived,  and  the  Church  was  rent 
over  it.  The  battle  still  continues  :  it  is 
represented  in  our  own  day  by  the  conflict 
of  the  principles  and  ideals  of  Evangeli- 
calism and  Sacerdotalism.  As  far  as 
English  Christianity  is  concerned,  we  may 
well  believe  that  the  light  and  liberty 
which  were  won  for  us  at  the  Reformation 
will  effectively  prevent  any  national  return 
to  the  darkness  and  superstition  of  the 
mediaeval  Church ;  and  yet  as  long  as  the  in- 
stitutional aspect  of  the  gospel  is  presented 
to  men  after  the  manner  of  mediaeval 
thought,  and  the  true  relation  of  the  Sacra- 

94 


The  Divine   Pleading 

ments  to  the  Word  on  the  one  hand,  and  to 
faith  on  the  other,  is  not  perceived,  for  so 
long  will  the  old  conflict  between  prophet 
and  priest  have  its  counterpart  in  the  ex- 
perience of  the  Church. 

3.  The  Demand. 

The  repudiation  by  the  prophet  of  the 
false  conception  of  religion  is  followed  by 
a  statement  of  the  true  conception.  God 
does  not  accept  pools  of  blood  and  rivers  of 
oil  as  means  of  escape  from  a  life  of  equity 
and  fellowship  with  Himself.  Blood  and 
oil  may  be  the  accepted  means  of  approach 
for  a  penitent  spirit,  but  they  are  no  sub- 
stitutes for  morality.  God's  requirements 
consist  in  an  attitude  of  heart  and  will 
towards  our  fellow-men  and  Himself,  and 
a  life  which  corresponds  to  that  attitude. 

In  respect  of  our  fellow-men  He  asks  us 
to  do  justly  and  to  love  mercy^  that  is  to  say, 
to  be  both  righteous  and  good.^     Justice  is 

1  For  the  distinction,  see  Rom.  v.  7.  It  is  the  differ- 
ence between  the  attitude  which  expresses  itself  by  the 

95 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

not  to  be  sacrificed  to  kindness,  but  it  is  to 
be  enlarged  by  it.  The  doing  of  justice  is 
to  be  no  niggardly  submission  to  legal  code, 
but  it  is  to  be  expanded  into  the  generous 
expression  of  a  heart  which  loves  mercy. 
Taught  and  inspired  by  our  experience  of 
Divine  mercy  we  have  not  merely  to  show 
mercy  but  to  love  it,  to  set  our  affection 
on  the  finding  out  of  matters  in  which  we 
can  forget  the  wrong  suffered,  and  seek  to 
do  the  best  for  our  neighbour  instead  of 
pressing  home  advantage  for  ourselves. 

The  other  side  of  God's  demand  is  that 
we  shall  walk  humbly  with  Him.  This 
means  a  life  of  fellowship  and  communion 
in  which  we  recognise  His  wisdom  and 
submit  to  His  will,  sinking  our  own  desires 
when  they  conflict  with  His  claims,  and 
accepting  Him  always  and  in  everything 
as  our  Lord,  our  Owner,  our  Guide,  our 
Master. 

The  judgment  which  was  to  fall  upon 
Judah  was  not  a  judgment  upon  erroneous 

question,  "  What  must  I  do  for  others  ?  '*  and  that 
expressed  by,  "  What  can  I  do  ?  " 

96 


The  Divine  Pleading 

belief  or  irregularities  of  institutional  re- 
ligion, but  upon  conduct  which  was  in- 
consistent with  the  first  principles  of 
religion  (vers.  10-12).  The  nature  of  the 
punishment  was  to  be  such  that  the  very 
conduct  which  was  prompted  by  ideas  of 
self-pleasing  would  completely  fail  to  bring 
any  satisfaction.  Labour  would  have  no 
reward,  and  the  issue  would  be  nothing  but 
loss  and  deprivation  (vers.  13-15).  So  was 
Judah  to  learn  that  the  supreme  fact  in  life 
is  God,  and  that  the  supreme  necessity  is 
that  of  character  and  conduct  which  are  in 
some  degree  the  reflection  of  the  Divine. 


97 


VIII 

THE  RESPONSE  OF  THE  CHILD 
OF  GOD 

MicAH  vii. 


VIII 

THE  RESPONSE  OF  THE  CHILD 
OF  GOD 

I.  Confession. 

The  first  stage  in  the  return  of  the  sinner 
to  God  is  conviction  of  guilt  and  need, 
which  expresses  itself  in  confession.  The 
Prodigal  had  to  come  to  himself}  What  a 
pregnant  expression !  The  man  has  not 
been  himself,  he  has  not  allowed  liberty  of 
action  to  those  parts  of  his  nature  which  were 
given  for  the  purpose  of  control,  his  conduct 
has  not  been  the  expression  of  his  true  being. 
He  is  like  a  man  who  acts  in  his  sleep  without 
the  dictation  of  conscience  and  will,  or  who 
has  rendered  himself  temporarily  irrespon- 
sible by  subjecting  his  mental  activities  to 
the  soporific  influence  of  a  drug.  The  sinner 
1  St.  Luke  XV.  17. 
lOI 


The   Prophecy  of  Micah 

has  to  learn  that,  when  he  permits  the  higher 
parts  of  his  nature  to  be  dominated  by  the 
appetites  of  the  flesh,  he  is  denying  his 
manhood,  and  that  he  needs  to  come  to 
himself. 

There  are  many  and  varied  ways  in 
which  the  conviction  is  produced.  For 
some  it  is  the  result  of  affliction,  the  conse- 
quence, it  may  be,  of  the  overthrow  of  the 
things  which  were  held  to  count,  or  of  the 
withdrawal  of  blessings,  the  enjoyment  of 
which  was  taken  as  a  matter  of  course.  For 
others  it  comes  through  the  failure  to  find 
satisfaction  in  the  life  from  which  God  has 
been  excluded.  Others  come  to  them- 
selves through  being  confronted  with  some 
manifestation  of  Divine  power,  as  was 
the  case  with  the  jailer  at  Philippi.^  The 
change  takes  place  in  others  through  the 
vision  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  as  it  did  in  the 
experience  of  Saul  of  Tarsus.^  However 
varied  the  means  may  be,  the  same  con- 
viction of  guilt  and  need  is  for  all  alike  the 
first  stage  in  the  process  of  repentance. 
1  Acts  xvi.  30.  2  Q^i  I  1 5^ 

102 


Response  of  the  Child  of  God 

In  this  closing  chapter  of  Micah's  pro- 
phecy a  section  of  the  people  of  Judah  is 
represented  as  passing  through  this  experi- 
ence. The  message  of  judgment  has  not 
been  delivered  in  vain.  Woe  is  me  I  I  have 
sinned  against  the  Lord  is  their  cry  (vers.  1-9). 
And  what  a  description  the  prophet  has  to 
give  of  the  condition  of  the  nation,  as  he 
muses  within  himself  !  What  a  confession 
he  has  to  make  !  The  faithful  among  them 
are  so  few  that  he  can  compare  them  only 
with  the  gleanings  after  the  fruit  has  been 
gathered.  The  nation  as  a  whole  has  turned 
away  from  God,  and  righteousness  is  hard  to 
find.  Violence  and  robbery  are  the  rule. 
All  alike  are  diligent  in  doing  evil,  and  the 
men  of  position  and  influence  lead  in  the 
way.  Treachery  and  deceit  are  rampant  : 
they  contaminate  even  the  most  sacred  of 
social  relationships  (vers.  1-6).  But  there 
is  a  faithful  remnant  of  the  people  which 
is  convicted  of  the  national  guilt,  and 
conscious  of  the  national  need  :  and  the 
prophet  speaks  as  their  representative. 


103 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

2.  Faith. 

After  conviction  comes  faith,  the  atti- 
tude of  heart  and  mind  towards  God  which 
carries  with  it  repentance,  confession, 
prayer,  trust,  and  obedience. 

But  as  for  me^  I  will  look  unto  the  Lord 
(ver.  7). 

The  words  are  an  anticipation  of  the 
description  of  the  Prodigal's  return,  he 
arose  and  came  unto  his  father}  They  imply 
repentance  and  confession :  repentance, 
because  the  Godward  look  involves  the 
turning  of  the  back  upon  sin  ;  confession, 
because  the  look  is  the  expression  of  the 
sense  of  need. 

/  will  wait  for  the  God  of  my  salvation  : 
my  God  will  hear  me. 

The  words  are  an  expression  of  the  con- 
fidence which  comes  of  a  prayerful  trust  and 
obedience.  What  an  inspiring  insight  into 
the  state  of  mind  of  a  true  believer  !  He 
looks  to  the  Lord,  prays  to  the  Lord,  waits 
for  the  Lord,  trusts  in  the  Lord.  This  is  his 
1  St.  Luke  XV.  20. 
104 


Response  of  the  Child  of  God 

portion,  the  secret  of  peace  in  the  midst  of 
trouble,  the  condition  of  pardon  and  power. 

My  God  will  hear  me.  Faith  finds  no 
difficulty  in  the  conception  of  prayer  being 
answered.  The  believer's  philosophy  of 
prayer  is  exceedingly  simple,  and  at  the 
same  time  amply  sufficient.  As  it  is  reason- 
able and  natural  for  a  child  to  bring  his 
needs  to  his  father,  and  for  the  father  to 
hear  and  answer  his  child's  requests,  accord- 
ing to  his  greater  knowledge  and  experience, 
even  so  it  is  reasonable  and  natural  for  the 
child  of  God  to  pray  to  his  Heavenly  Father 
with  the  assurance  that  the  prayer  will  be 
heard  and  answered  in  accordance  with 
Divine  love  and  wisdom.^  Faith  requires 
no  other  explanation  of  prayer  than  this. 
The  belief  that  God  is  carries  with  it  the 
assurance  that  He  is  a  rewarder  of  them  that 
diligently  seek  Him.^ 

Micah's  faith  made  no  demand  for  such 

an  answer  to  his  prayer  as  would  secure  for 

him  immunity  from   trouble  and   freedom 

from   chastisement.     On    the    contrary,  his 

1  Cf.  St.  Luke  xi.  1 1  ff.  2  Heb.  xi.  6. 

los 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

unhesitating  confidence  in  God's  will  and 
power  to  save  was  accompanied  by  an  un- 
complaining resignation  to  suffering  and  a 
filial  submission  to  discipline. 

Rejoice  not  against  me,  O  mine  enemy  : 
when  I  fall,  I  shall  arise  ;  when  I  sit  in 
darkness,  the  Lord  shall  he  a  light  unto  me, 
I  will  bear  the  indignation  of  the  Lord, 
because  I  have  sinned  against  him  ;  until  he 
fie  ad  my  cause,  and  execute  judgment  for  me  : 
he  will  bring  me  forth  to  the  light,  and  I  shall 
behold  his  righteousness  (vers.  8-9). 

Triumphant  faith  indeed  in  the  hour  of 
difficulty  and  defeat  !  The  fall  is  only  a 
claim  to  restoring  grace  ;  darkness  is  only  a 
claim  to  the  provision  of  light.  The  one 
thing  which  the  believer  cannot  claim  is  the 
absence  of  trial  :  he  must  recognise  the  fact 
of  the  righteous  indignation  of  the  Lord. 
We  have  sinned  :  therefore  we  must  expect 
to  pass  through  the  purifying  fire,^  to 
receive  the  chastisement  which  is  the 
evidence  of  the  Father's  love,^  and  to 
experience  the  cleansing  which  is  the 
1  Cf.  Mai.  iii.  3.  2  Heb.  xii.  7  ff. 

106 


Response  of  the  Child  of  God 

condition  of  bearing  more  fruit. ^  It  may 
be  that  we  do  not  sufficiently  realise  the 
sinfulness  of  sin  and  the  holiness  of  God, 
or  that  we  need  to  be  saved  from  self-esteem 
and  self-reliance  :  but  whatever  the  cause 
may  be,  we  shall,  like  St.  Peter,^  have  to 
pass  through  bitter  experiences,  the  very 
sifting  processes  of  Satan,  the  hours  of  the 
power  of  darkness,  before  we  are  ready  to  do 
the  work  which  lies  in  front  of  us,  and  are 
prepared  to  fulfil  the  destiny  which  God 
has  set  before  us.  When  the  day  of  trouble 
comes,  may  it  find  us,  as  it  did  the  Prophet 
Micah,  ready  to  acknowledge  the  love  which 
has  permitted  the  trial,^  and  to  trust  in  the 
grace  which  can  bring  us  through  it.* 

3.  Hope. 

In  the  next  few  verses  (10-17)  ^^  have  a 
picture  of  the  reward  of  faith.  In  the  day 
when  the  Lord  executes  judgment  for  His 

^  St.  John  XV.  2.  2  St.  Luke  xxii.  31. 

3  Cf.  Ps.  cxix.  75  ;   Rom.  v.  3  fF. 
*  Cf.  I  Cor.  X.  13  ;  Heb.  iv.  16. 

107 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

own,  unbelief  will  be  put  to  shame,  the 
taunting  challenge  will  receive  its  answer, 
faith  will  find  its  vindication  (ver.  lo). 
The  suffering  of  discipline  will  give  way 
to  happiness  and  prosperity  (vers.  11-13). 
The  manifestation  of  God's  power  will 
make  His  people  an  object  not  of  envy 
merely,  but  also  of  fear  to  the  nations  of 
the  world  (vers.  14-17). 

In  this  prediction  of  the  victory,  restora- 
tion, and  prosperity  of  Judah,  Micah  stands 
before  us  once  again  ^  as  a  man  of  hope,  and 
illustrates  incidentally  another  characteristic 
of  the  child  of  God.  The  two  qualities  of 
hope  and  faith  are  linked  together  in  the 
closest  possible  connection.  Without  faith, 
hope  would  have  no  substance,^  and,  with- 
out hope,  faith  would  lack  its  natural 
fruit. ^  If  faith  is  necessary  to  hope  as  its 
source  and  cause,  hope  is  necessary  to  faith 
as  its  product  and  completion. 

When  faith  is  man's  response  to  the 
revelation  of  God,  the  hope  which  it  pro- 

1  Cf.  ch.  ii.  12  f.,  iv.,  V.  ^  Heb.  xi.  i. 

3  Rom.  XV.  13. 

108 


Response  of  the  Child  of  God 

duces  is  not  an  indefinite  expectation  of 
possibilities,  but  a  confident  assurance  of 
future  certainties.  In  this  connection  hope 
loses  all  the  element  of  uncertainty  which 
often  attaches  to  it,  and  becomes  a  definite, 
unhesitating  confidence  in  respect  of  things 
that  are  to  be. 

Such  was  the  hope  of  Micah.  He  was  a 
man  of  hope  because  he  was  a  man  of  faith, 
and  he  was  a  man  with  a  definite,  assured 
hope  because  his  faith  was  built  upon 
revelation,  and  rested  in  the  God  of  hope.'^ 

And  now,  with  Micah's  experience  as  our 
guide,  let  us  consider  the  functions  which 
hope  fulfils  in  the  life  of  the  child  of  God. 
We  shall  have  no  difficulty  in  perceiving 
three,  when  we  remember  that  the  prophet 
had  to  endure  trials,  to  accomplish  a  ministry, 
and  to  live  for  the  future.  In  all  three 
respects  it  would  be  true  to  say  that  his 
hope  was  his  salvation.^ 

Micah  had  to  endure  trials.  There  is  a 
sense    in   which    affliction    may   be   said   to 

1  Cf.  Rom.  XV.  13  ;   i  Pet.  i.  21. 

2  Cf.  Rom.  viii.  24. 

109 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

produce  hope,*  for  it  assists  a  man  to  set 
his  affection  on  the  things  which  are  to 
be  rather  than  upon  the  things  which  are, 
and  hope,  like  many  other  quaHties,  increases 
with  exercise ;  but  it  is  also  true  that  hope 
is  the  secret  of  endurance.  The  absence  of 
hope  is  one  of  the  surest  causes  of  defeat. 
The  man  who  endures  to  the  end  is  one  who 
can  say  with  the  Psalmist,  My  soul  fainteth 
for  thy  salvation  :   but  I  hope  in  thy  word} 

We  are  not  surprised  to  find  salvation  by 
hope  as  one  of  the  leading  ideas  of  the 
Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  seeing  that  the 
epistle  was  written  for  the  purpose  of 
encouraging  Hebrew  Christians  during  the 
severe  trials  of  the  transition  period,  when 
the  New  Covenant  was  being  established  in 
the  place  of  the  Old.  The  writer  exhorts 
them  to  hold  fast  their  boldness  and  the 
glorying  of  their  hope  firm  unto  the  end,^ 
and  to  shew  diligence  unto  the  fulness  of 
hope  to  the  end.*  He  reminds  them  that 
they  have  the  promise  and  the  oath  of  God 

1  Cf.  Rom.  V.  3f.  2  Ps.  cxix.  8i. 

8  Heb.  iii.  6.  *  Heb.  vi.  ii. 

no 


Response  of  the  Child  of  God 

for  their  comfort,  seeing  that  they  have  fled 
for  refuge  to  lay  hold  of  the  hope  set  before 
them,  which  they  have  as  an  anchor  of  the 
soul,  a  hope  sure  and  stedfast.^  Patience, 
then,  is  one  of  the  fruits  of  hope.* 

But  Micah  had  also  to  accomplish  a 
ministry.  He  had  to  go  on  warning,  ex- 
horting, and  teaching,  while  all  the  time 
the  work  seemed  to  be  in  vain.  It  was  his 
hope  which  was  the  secret  of  his  patient 
continuance. 

St.  Paul  possessed  the  same  secret.  Was 
there  ever  a  combination  of  circumstances 
more  calculated  to  dishearten  and  depress 
a  man,  whose  work  was  that  of  an  apostle, 
teacher,  preacher,  and  ambassador,  than 
those  which  beset  him  as  a  prisoner  in 
Rome  ?  Think  of  the  restriction,  the 
fetters,  the  fate  hanging  over  his  head,  and 
the  malicious  devices  of  the  false  brethren  ! 
Yet  amid  it  all  he  remained  a  man  of  joy 
and  confidence,  and  continued  to  accom- 
plish whatever  ministry  was  open  to  him 

1  Heb.  vi.  i8f. 

*  Cf.  Rom.  xii.  12  ;    i  Thess.  i.  3. 

Ill 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

through  lip  and  pen.  The  Apostle's  secret 
lies  revealed  before  anyone  who  will  take 
the  trouble  to  read  his  prison  letters  :  it 
can  be  summed  up  in  one  phrase,  my  earnest 
exfectation  and  my  hofe} 

In  the  third  place,  Micah  had  to  live  jot 
the  future,  not  in  the  sense  of  personal 
continuance  after  death,  but  in  that  of 
national  revival  after  judgment.  He  had  to 
interpret  present  experience  in  the  light  of 
revealed  purpose,  and  to  set  his  affection 
on  the  things  which  were  to  be.  This  he 
was  able  to  do  because  he  was  a  man  of 
hope  :  he  both  possessed  hope  as  a  feature 
of  his  character  and  rejoiced  in  a  hope  as  an 
element  in  his  creed. 

Perhaps  the  most  illuminating  example 
of  this  aspect  of  hope  is  the  attitude  of 
Abraham  towards  God's  promise  of  Isaac, 
when  he  in  hope  believed  against  hope,  to  the 
end  that  he  might  become  a  father  of  many 
nations,  according  to  that  which  had  been 
spoken,  So  shall  thy  seed  be.  And  without 
being  weakened  in  faith  he  considered  his 
1  Phil.  i.  20. 
112 


Response  of  the  Child  of  God 

own  body  now  as  good  as  dead  .  .  .  and  the 
deadness  of  SaraFs  womb  :  yea,  looking  unto 
the  promise  of  God,  he  wavered  not  through 
unbelief,  but  waxed  strong  through  faith, 
giving  glory  to  God,  and  being  fully  assured 
that,  what  he  had  promised,  he  was  able  also 
to  perform} 

What  hope  did  for  Abraham  and  Micah, 
in  the  restricted  sense  in  which  they  were 
able  to  Hve  for  the  future,  that  it  can  do 
now  for  the  child  of  God,  for  whom  Jesus 
Christ  abolished  death,  and  brought  life  and 
incorruption  to  light  through  the  gospel}  If 
we  are  to  live  for  the  future,  as  it  is  now 
revealed  unto  us,  we  must  put  on  for  a 
helmet  the  hope  of  salvation} 

4.  Praise. 

It  is  not  surprising  that  the  statement  of 
Micah's  hope  should  close  with  a  doxology 
(vers.  18-20).  Faith  in  God  always  leads 
to  praise,  because  the  hope  of  the  child  of 

1  Rom.  iv.  17  ff.  2  2  Tim.  i.  10. 

^  I  Thess.  V.  8. 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

God  never  makes  him  ashamed.^  Micah 
praises  God  for  His  forgiving  love,  His 
redeeming  power,  and  His  faithfulness  to 
His  word. 

He  praises  God  in  the  first  place  for  His 
forgiving  love  ;  and  this  is  the  most  wonder- 
ful feature  of  the  revelation  of  God. 

Who  is  a  God  like  unto  thee^  that  fardoneth 
iniquity,  and  fasseth  hy  the  transgression  of  the 
remnant  of  his  heritage  ?  he  retaineth  not 
his  anger  for  ever,  because  he  delighteth  in 
mercy. 

Natural  religion  ends  with  the  conception 
of  God  as  an  object  of  fear.  Men  find  them- 
selves confronted  with  the  forces  of  earth, 
air,  fire,  and  water,  forces  infinitely  greater 
than  any  which  they  themselves  possess ; 
and  through  these  they  perceive  the  majesty 
and  sovereignty  of  God,  but  they  hardly 
get  beyond  the  idea  of  a  Being  who  has  to  be 
humoured  and  propitiated.  When  St.  Paul 
lays  his  indictment  against  the  heathen 
world,  he  charges  idolaters  with  failure  to 
perceive,    by    the    things    that    are    made, 

1  Rom.  V.  5. 

114 


Response  of  the  Child  of  God 

God's  eternal  power  and  divinity,*  but  in 
respect  of  the  knowledge  of  God  he  does 
not  go  beyond  that.  It  is  to  revelation  that 
men  owe  their  conception  of  the  love  of 
God,  faintly  understood  as  an  attribute  by 
members  of  the  Old  Covenant,  but  now  seen 
in  the  person  of  the  Incarnate  Son  to  be  the 
very  essence  of  the  Divine  Nature.  We  now 
know  not  merely  that  God  is  loving  and  that 
He  loves  us,  but  also  the  far  deeper  truth 
that  God  is  love.^  Love  is  as  truly  of  the 
essence  of  God's  nature  as  are  holiness  and 
faithfulness.  And  this  means,  for  all  who 
are  willing  to  have  it,  the  forgiveness  of  sins.^ 
If  Micah  could  believe  this  and  praise  God 
for  it,  how  much  more  can  we  who  rejoice 
in  the  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ  ? 

In  the  second  place,  Micah  praises  God 
for  His  redeeming  power. 

He  will  turn  again  and  have  compassion 
upon  us  ;  he  will  tread  our  iniquities  under 
foot ;  and  thou  wilt  cast  all  their  sins  into 
the  depths  of  the  sea, 

1  Rom.  i.  20.  2  I  John  iv.  7  f. 

«  Rom.  V.  8. 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

This  is  something  more  than  forgiveness : 
it  is  the  dehverance  of  man  from  the 
dominion  of  sin.  Divine  love  will  never 
stop  short  at  forgiveness.^  Pardon  is  only 
the  first  step  towards  salvation.  God  for- 
gives man  in  order  to  make  him  holy.^ 
Holiness  is  the  condition  of  forgiveness, 
not  in  the  sense  of  being  its  cause,  but  as 
being  its  purpose.  On  God's  side,  the 
revelation  of  pardon  is  the  guarantee  at 
the  same  time  of  power  ;  on  man's  side,  the 
willingness  to  be  set  free  from  the  power  of 
sin  is  an  essential  element  in  faith,  and  an 
indispensable  qualification  for  the  enjoy- 
ment of  pardon.  If  a  man  is  unwilling  to 
fulfil  the  Divine  purpose  he  disqualifies 
himself  for  the  standing  in  Divine  grace. 
The  acceptance  of  forgiveness  carries  with 
it  the  obligation  to  become  holy.  The 
Prodigal  was  accepted,  pardoned,  restored, 
without  any  bargaining  as  to  the  future  ;  ' 
but  the  return  was  the  promise  of  a  worthy 
sonship,  and  the  welcome  was  the  guarantee 

1  Rom.  V.  8  ff.,  viii.  32  ff.  2  Eph.  ii.  8  fF. 

8  St.  Luke  XV.  20. 

116 


Response  of  the  Child  of  God 

of  the  perpetual  bestowal  of  the  privileges 
of  the  home.  The  unmerciful  servant  was 
pardoned  wholly  and  solely  because  of  the 
master's  grace  ;  but  he  refused  subsequently 
to  live  a  life  of  worthy  response,  and  the 
grace  was  withdrawn.^  The  goodness  of 
God  leads  men  to  repentance,^  and  the 
mercies  of  God  lead  men  to  holiness.' 

In  the  last  place  the  prophet  praises  God 
for  His  faithfulness. 

7hou  wilt  ferform  the  truth  to  Jacoh^  and 
the  mercy  to  Abraham,  which  thou  hast  sworn 
unto  our  fathers  from  the  days  of  old, 

Man  may  be  faithless,  but  God  abideth 
faithful ;  He  cannot  deny  Himself.*  Judg- 
ment may  have  to  fall,  and  the  fulfilment 
of  the  promises  may  have  to  wait ;  but 
God's  word  will  not  return  to  Him  void, 
what  He  has  said  He  will  assuredly  per- 
form.^ 

The  faithfulness  of  God  is  usually  associ- 
ated with  His  promises,  and  it  is  so  here. 

1  St.  Matt,  xviii.  23  fF.  2  Rom.  ii.  4. 

*  Rom.  xii.  I.  *  2  Tim.  ii.  13. 

5  Cf.  Hab.  ii.  2  C 

117 


The  Prophecy  of  Micah 

But  it  is  well  to  remind  ourselves  that  God 
has  given  to  us  words  of  warning  as  well  as 
of  promise,  and  that  His  faithfulness  applies 
to  the  one  as  well  as  to  the  other.  It  was 
exemplified  as  much  in  the  destruction  of 
the  unbelievers  through  the  Flood  as  in  the 
salvation  of  Noah  through  the  Ark ;  and 
as  much  in  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem 
by  the  Chaldeans  as  in  the  Return  of  the 
Jews  from  Babylon.  But  here  it  is  linked 
up  to  the  promises ;  and  it  was  because 
Micah  was  able  to  praise  God  for  His 
faithfulness  that  he  continued  to  be  a 
man  with  a  sure  and  steadfast  hope  in 
the  midst  of  circumstances  which  were 
apparently  hopeless. 

In  Micah's  doxology,  then,  we  can  find 
the  incentive  and  inspiration  for  our  own 
times  of  darkness  and  difficulty,  whether 
personal  or  national.  It  is  just  in  so  far  as 
we  can  rejoice  in  the  pardoning  love  of 
God,  in  His  power  to  set  us  free  from  the 
bands  of  our  sins,  and  in  His  faithfulness  to 
His  word  and  promise,  that  we  can,  filled 
with  all  joy  and  peace  in  believing,  abound 

ii8 


Response  of  the  Child  of  God 

in  hope  through  the  power  of  the  Holy- 
Ghost.^  But  we  must  see  to  it  that  we 
cultivate  not  only  the  hope  which  patiently 
endures  trial  and  waits  on  the  Lord  for 
deliverance,  but  also  that  which  activelv 
co-operates  with  God  in  service  and  sacrifice, 
and  sets  its  affection  on  those  good  things 
which  pass  man's  understanding,  but  are 
revealed  unto  us  by  the  Spirit,  the  things 
which  God  hath  prepared  for  them  that 
unfeignedly  love  Him. 

1  Rom.  XV.  13. 


119 


APPENDIX 

In  times  of  national  crisis  the  writings  of 
the  Canonical  Prophets  seem  to  acquire  a 
fresh  significance  and  value.  The  reason 
is  not  far  to  seek.  The  Prophets  were 
the  messengers  of  God  to  the  Church  of 
the  Old  Covenant.  But,  under  the  Old 
Covenant,  Church  and  Nation  were 
identical.  Israel  was  a  religious  common- 
wealth, and  expressed  its  national  life 
through  the  ordinances  and  institutions  of 
its  religion.  And  consequently  the  Prophets 
were  ultimately  concerned  in  their  ministry, 
not  with  individuals,  nor  with  sections  of 
the  community,  but  with  the  nation.  It 
was  of  the  nation  that  they  thought,  to  the 
nation  that  they  spake,  for  the  nation  that 
they  worked. 

This    feature    of    the    ministry    of    the 
Prophets  could  not  be  reproduced  in  the 

121 


Appendix 


work  of  the  Apostles.  Israel  as  a  nation 
had  rejected  Christ ;  and  the  Church  of 
the  New  Covenant  had  to  be  gathered  out 
of  every  nation,  and  to  consist  of  all  tribes 
and  peoples  and  tongues.  And  conse- 
quently the  majority  of  the  Epistles  are 
addressed  either  to  local  companies  of 
believers  or  to  individuals.  Even  the 
"  Catholic  Epistles  "  had  readers  in  view 
whose  demarcation  was  determined  by 
their  Christian  profession.  No  writing  of 
the  New  Testament  is  addressed  to  a  church 
which  was  co-extensive  and  identical  with 
a  nation  or  empire.  The  Apostolic  writings 
record  teaching  for  Christians  as  distin- 
guished from  unbelievers ;  the  Prophetical 
writings  record  teaching  for  Judah  and 
Israel  (either  separately  or  in  combination) 
as  distinguished  from  other  nations. 

It  is,  therefore,  not  to  be  wondered  at 
that  in  times  such  as  the  present,  when  under 
the  pressure  of  circumstances  the  scope 
of  our  thoughts  is  enlarged,  and  we  are 
compelled  to  pay  heed  to  the  life  and  soul 
of  the  nation,  men  discover  new  value  in  the 

122 


Appendix 

words  of  warning  or  comfort  which  were 
delivered  by  these  guardians  of  Israel's 
religion,  monitors  of  Israel's  morality, 
watchmen  of  Israel's  destiny. 

If,  at  the  time  of  the  National  Mission 
in  England,  this  little  volume  is  permitted 
to  take  any  part  in  stimulating  and  directing 
the  study  of  the  teaching  of  one  of  these 
messengers  to  a  nation,  its  publication  will 
have  fulfilled  its  purpose. 

There  are  many  sources  from  which  help 
in  the  study  of  the  Book  of  Micah  can  be 
obtained  by  an  English  reader. 

Of  these  mention  may  be  made  here  of 
the  following  : 

CalvirCs  Commentary  (English  translation 
by  Owen,  1847).  Copies  of  this  can  be 
found  in  most  libraries.  It  is  an  illumina- 
ting guide  to  practical  application  based  on 
careful  interpretation. 

Pusey^s  Comm.entary  on  the  Minor 
Prophets  (1869).  A  forceful  exposition, 
with  the  added  virtue  of  providing  a  wide 
field  of  Bible  study. 

Bishop  Christopher  WordswortFs  Com- 
123 


Appendix 

mentary  on  the  Bible  (1871);  F.  C.  Cook, 
in  the  "Speaker's  Commentary"  (1876); 
The  One-Volume  Commentary  (J.  R. 
Dummelow,  1909). 

The  brief  exposition  by  Dr.  Cheyne  in 
The  Cambridge  Bible  for  Schools  and  Colleges 
(1893)  offers  valuable  help  in  the  study  of 
the  original  meaning  of  the  text. 

The  Doctrine  of  the  Prophets,  by  Dr. 
Kirkpatrick  (1892),  is  of  great  assistance 
to  a  knowledge  of  the  circumstances  and 
message  of  the  Prophet.  It  does  not 
contain  an  exposition  of  the  text. 

Dr.  G.  A.  Smith,  in  The  Book  of  the 
Twelve  Prophets  {"  The  Expositor's  Bible," 
1896),  exhibits  his  characteristic  power 
of  making  the  message  of  the  Prophets  a 
living  one  for  our  own  day. 

For  advanced  critical  study,  Dr.  J.  M.  P. 
Smith  in  the  "  International  Critical  Com- 
mentary "  (1912)  should  be  consulted. 


124 


INDEX 


A.  REFERENCES  TO  HOLY  SCRIPTURE 


PAGE 

PAGE 

Gen.  iii.  i  ff.    .     .     .     .      20 

Isa.  xliv.  7f.    ,     .     ,     .         7 

„    xvii.  17   . 

.      73 

,,     Xlv.   21 

7 

,,    xviii.  12  . 

73 

,,    xlvi.  9f.    . 

7 

Ex.  xxxiv.  I5f. 

22 

,,    xlviii.  3ff. 

7 

Deut.  ii.  7  .     . 

.       44 

„    xlix.  I,  5  . 

71 

,,     xxxi.  16. 

22 

„    Iv.  8     .     . 

73 

Josh.  vi.  19     . 

.       36 

Jer.  1.  4  f.    .     . 

71,  73 

,,     vii.  21  ff. 

.       36 

,,    vi.  20  .     . 

89 

I  Sam.  iv.  i  ff. 

•      35 

,,    vii.  21  ff.    . 

89 

,,      XV.  22 .     . 

.      89 

,,    xxxi.  32     . 

22 

I  Kings  xix.  10 

24 

Hos.  i.  2     .     . 

22 

„      xxi.  3 . 

33 

„     vi.  6  .     .     . 

89 

Ps.  xxxiv.  15  , 

46 

,,     vii.  I  .     . 

25 

„  1.  8ff.    .     . 

89 

,,     xii.  2.     . 

83 

„  li.  16  f..     . 

89 

,,      xiii.  5      . 

44 

,,  Ixxiii.    .     . 

36 

Amos  iii.  2       .     . 

44 

,,  Ixxviii.  61  . 

35 

»      iii-  7      . 

7 

,,  Ixxviii.  67  ff. 

12> 

„       v.  2lff.        . 

89 

,,  Ixxix.     . 

36 

,,      vii.  14  f. 

Tl 

,,  Ixxxiii.  . 

36 

,,      viii.  II  . 

49 

„  cv.  17    .     . 

73 

Nah.  i.  7     .     .     . 

44 

,,  cxix.  75      . 

107 

Hah.  ii.  2  ff .     .     . 

117 

,,  cxix.  81      . 

no 

Zcph.  ii.  II      .     . 

60 

Prov.  viii.  22  f. 

70 

Mai.  i.  II    .     .     . 

61 

Isa.  i.  10  ff.      .     . 

89 

,,     iii.  3  •     .     . 

106 

„   ii.  I  ff.  .     .     . 

59 

St.  Matt.  V.  8  .     . 

38 

„    vi.  13   .     . 

58 

ix.  15    . 

23 

„    X.  20     .     .     . 

58 

„        XI.  25    . 

74 

,,    xi.  II  ff.    .     . 

58 

„        xii.  50 

90 

,,     xli.  22ff.    .       . 

7 

,,        xviii.  23  ff 

117 

„    xlii.  9  .     . 

7 

„        xxiii.  ^^-j 

25 

„    xlm.  9 .     .     . 

7 

„            XXV.    I      . 

23 

125 


Index 


PAGE 

PAGE 

St.  Matt,  xxvii.  42    . 

.      35 

I  Cor.  X.  13     ...     .     107 

St.  Mark  ii.  27     .     . 

.       88 

„     xii.  .     .     . 

.    i3f. 

,,        xvi.  16  .     . 

.       92 

,,      xiii.  I  ff. 

.         14 

St.  Luke  xi.  1 1     .     . 

.     los 

2  Cor.  ii.  15  f. 

.         78 

„       XV.  I7ff.     I 

01  f.,  116 

,,      V.  19  ff.       . 

•         87 

„        xxii.  31 .     . 

.     107 

Gal.  i.  15  f.      .     . 

71,  102 

„        xxiv.  46  f.  . 

.    61  f. 

,,    iii.  26  f.    . 

.         92 

St.  John  iii.  3  .     .     . 

.       38 

„    V.  6     .     . 

91,93 

„       iii.  16     .     . 

.       91 

»    vi.  15  .     . 

•      93 

„       iii.  20     .     . 

30,  79 

Eph.  i.  I2ff.    . 

.      91 

„       iii.  29     .     . 

.       23 

,,     ii.  8ff.     . 

75  f.,  116 

„       xiv.  15  ff.    . 

.       91 

Phil.  i.  20  .     . 

.     112 

„       XV.  2       .     . 

.     107 

„    iii.  4ff.    . 

.      93 

„       XV.  4f.    .     . 

.       91 

I  Thess.  i.  3    . 

.     Ill 

„         XX.   21  ff.        . 

.      78 

„        V.  8  . 

•     113 

Acts  xvi.  30     .     . 

.     102 

2  Thess.  ii.  13 

.      72 

Rom.  i.  20.     .     .     . 

•     115 

2  Tim.  i.  7 

.       50 

,,      ii.  4ff.    .     . 

26,  117 

„      i.  9f.    . 

72,  no 

„     in.  27     .     .     . 

.      75 

„      ii-  13 

.     .     117 

„      iv.  Iff..     . 

.      75 

,,      ii.  19    . 

.      44 

„      iv.  18  ff.       . 

56,  113 

Heb.  i.  I    . 

.     .    iif. 

„      V.  3  .     .     .     . 

107,  no 

„     iii.  6  .     . 

.     no 

„      V.  5   .      .      . 

.     114 

„     iv.  16     . 

.     107 

„     V.  7f.     .    86, 

95.  ii5f- 

„     vi.  II 

.     .     no 

„      viii.  24  .     . 

.     .     109 

„     vi.  18 

.     .     in 

„      viii.  29   .     . 

.     .       72 

„       XI.   I   . 

.     .     108 

„      viii.  32  .     . 

85,  116 

„     XI.  6  . 

.     .     105 

„      X.  10       .      . 

.     38,  93 

„     xi.  17  f. 

.     .      56 

„     xi.  5 .     .     . 

.     .       58 

„     xii.  7  ff. 

.     .     106 

„      xii.  I      .     . 

.     .     117 

I  Pet.  i.  21 

.     .     109 

,,      xii.  12    .     , 

.     .     Ill 

I  John  iv.  7  f. 

.   14,  115 

„      XV.  13     .      .     I 

08  f.,  119 

Rev.  ii.  5    . 

.     •      37 

I  Cor.  i.  26  ff. .     . 

.     .       74 

„    V.  9f. 

.    .      76 

„      ii.  2.     .     . 

.     .      75 

„    xxi.  2,  9 

.    .      23 

„     ii.  I5f. .    . 

.    .      78 

126 


Index 


B.  SUBJECTS 


Character :  environment  and, 

30 ff.  ;  grace  and,  Ii6f. 
Conviction  of  sin  :  necessity  of, 

loi  f.  ;  how  produced,  102. 
Cross,  the  challenge  of  the, 

85f.   , 
Evangelisation   of  the  world, 

the,  61  f. 
Faith  :  an  activity  of  the  heart, 

38  f.  ;    the   cause   of  hope, 

55  ff.,  107  ff.  ;  the  incentive 
to  service,  62 ;  why  it  is 
the  condition  of  salvation, 
75  ^'  ;  the  accompaniments 
of,  104  ff. 

Faithfulness  of  God,  the, 
61  f.,  ii7f. 

Fall,  the :  significance  of  the 
story,  20  f. 

Forgiveness :  the  proof  of 
Divine  love,  85  ff.  ;  the  ini- 
tial stage  of  salvation,  1 16  f. 

Glory  of  God,    sin   and   the, 

34  ff-,  52. 
Hope  :    the  product  of  faith, 

56  f.,  107  ff. 

Idolatry  :  the  robbery  of  God, 

23  f. 
Institutionalism    of    religion, 

the,  87  ff. 
Jealousy  of  God,  the,  23  f. 
Judgment,    the    necessity   of, 

I7ff.,  25f. 


Love  of  God,  the,  83  ff.,  115. 

Moral  government  of  the 
world,  the,  iQff.,  45,  48  f. 

Natural  religion,  Ii4f. 

Patriotism,  morality  and,  33  f. 

Praise,  grounds  of,  113  ff. 

Prayer,  condition  of  effectual, 
46  f.,  105  f. 

Predestination,  practical  com- 
fort of,  72. 

Prediction :  an  element  of 
prophecy,  7. 

Prophecy,  6ff.,  49  f. 

Providence,  I7ff. 

Reformation,  the,  18,  94. 

Religion  and  religiousness,  32, 
88ff,95ff 

Repentance,  loi  ff. 

Revelation :  the  reasonable- 
ness of,  4ff.  ;  diversity  of 
instrument,  1 1  ff. 

Sacraments,  the,  91  f. 

Salvation  :  conditional,  51  f.  ; 
service  the  purpose  of  76  f.  ; 
character  the  test  of,  116  f. 

Scripture,  Holy  :  the  supreme 
standard  of  the  Faith,  8  ff. 

Self-limitation    of    God,    the. 

Sin  :  suffering  and,  19  ;  mean- 
ing of,  20  f. ,  30  ff. 
Suffering,  19,  63,  86. 
Unbelief,  immorality  and,  38  f. 


127 


THE 

SHORT  COURSE  SERIES 

EDITED  BY 
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